{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T16:51:04Z","timestamp":1783529464607,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":34,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1777593600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Medical Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS) shares numerous clinical features with Tourette syndrome (TS), notably the presence of tics and frequent comorbidities such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, irritability, and ADHD-like behaviors, often indistinguishable, particularly in the early stages of the two syndromes. Also, pathogenic similarities between PANS and TS constitute a diagnostic challenge, highlighting the need for biomarkers elucidating the underpinnings of the two disorders. In this context, metabolomics has emerged as a powerful tool for identifying distinct biochemical patterns in various diseases. We previously compared PANS, autism patients, and controls, identifying specific metabolic patterns. However, no studies have directly compared the metabolomic profiles of Tourette syndrome and PANS patients. The present study aims to compare the serum metabolomic profiles of TS patients with those of PANS and healthy controls to advance the molecular understanding and clinical differentiation of these two pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders. Methods: Thirty-four PANS patients and twenty-three Tourette patients were matched with twenty-five healthy subjects (C), and their blood samples were analyzed with 1H NMR spectroscopy. Subsequently, data were analysed with multivariate and univariate statistical approaches. Results: Supervised models indicated that the metabolomic profile of TS patients was significantly different from that of controls (p = 0.02), with altered concentrations of glutamate, glycerol, glycine, lactate, and proline. No significant differences were found in the comparison between PANS and TS patients. Conclusions: These preliminary data suggest that Tourette and Pans also seem to share the metabolic profiles, while differences were found in TS patients compared to controls. On the other hand, the PANS phenotype comprises symptoms that largely overlap with those of all other NDDs, including TS, outlining a spectrum of disorders that share common pathogenetic pathways. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/medsci14020232","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T09:33:17Z","timestamp":1777627997000},"page":"232","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Comparing the Metabolic Profile of Patients Affected by Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome PANS and Tourette Syndrome: Preliminary Data"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4080-9851","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Federica","family":"Murgia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Pathology and Microbiology Laboratory, SS Trinit\u00e0 Hospital, ASL, 09121 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Antonio","family":"Noto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Metabolomics Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marcello Giuseppe","family":"Tanca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari and \u201cA Cao\u201d Pediatric Hospital, 09121 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9200-2772","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carola","family":"Costanza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-7675-1815","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valeria","family":"Marletta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5776-5555","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sara","family":"Carucci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari and \u201cA Cao\u201d Pediatric Hospital, 09121 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9367-7739","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonella","family":"Gagliano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari and \u201cA Cao\u201d Pediatric Hospital, 09121 Cagliari, Italy"},{"name":"Department of Neuroscience, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, 94018 Troina, Italy"},{"name":"Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, Department of Medicine and Surgery, \u201cKore\u201d University of Enna, 94100 Enna, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0606-4959","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Luigi","family":"Atzori","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Clinical Metabolomics Unit, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"38","DOI":"10.1089\/cap.2014.0081","article-title":"Multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to treating youth with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome: Presenting characteristics of the first 47 consecutive patients","volume":"25","author":"Frankovich","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. 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