Forward: "It is at once a detective story, a scientific essay, and a study in the folly of human nature. It is also a love-story. The book lays bare to the reader all the intrigue and meticulous care that occupy the life of a professional gene hunter, as Dr. Comings recounts the history of his latest foray into uncharted territory of the human genome. He was, and is, a hard scientist who got caught by his work as a clinician. David Comings moved into the study of Tourette syndrome, this strange condition of twitching and shouting, after a long and illustrious career exploring the genetics of better-understood, more clear-cut problems. He and others had long been convinced that there was a simple, straightforward genetic basis for this disorder."
John Ratey, M.D., Author of Driven to Distraction, Answers to Distraction, and The Neuropsychiatry of Behavioral Disorders.
"The one feature about Tourette syndrome that fascinated us from the very beginning was the effect this gene had on conduct. Although it was the motor and vocal tics that brought these children into the clinic, it was the conduct problems that the parents complained about most bitterly. Although not present in every case, approximately half of TS children had problems with oppositional defiant disorder showing some combination of constant talking back, not taking no for an answer, short temper, rage attacks over trivial things, lying, stealing, fire starting, or aggressive behavior. As the medical half of the team, I would attempt to bring these behaviors under control with medication."