The Scharf Lab investigates the genetic and neurobiological mechanisms, and clinical features of neuropsychiatric disorders that lie at the interface between traditional concepts of neurologic and psychiatric disease. Our work focuses on Tourette syndrome (TS), persistent tic disorder (PTD), obsessive-compulsive and related disorders (OCRDs), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In addition to the lab’s research, Dr. Scharf sees patients in the MGH Tic Disorders Unit and the BWH Tic Disorders Clinic, co-directs the MGH TS Center of Excellence, sits on the Tourette Association of America Scientific Advisory Board, and co-leads the Psychiatric Genetics Consortium TS/OCD Working Group. Our work begins and ends with patients, as all of our research, clinical work, and outreach is grounded in the fundamental goal of improving the lives of children, adolescents and adults with TS and related conditions.
We conduct genetic and clinical research to identify risk factors for TS and related disorders in patients and families. By characterizing the underlying genetic architecture of these conditions and integrating genetic data with in-depth phenotypic information, we hope to identify novel targets for treatment, learn about the course of TS and related conditions at a patient-specific level, and better predict treatment response.
The lab’s genetic research projects include large-scale case-control and family-based analyses of common genetic variation (genome-wide association studies/GWAS), rare copy number variants (CNVs) and other structural variants (SVs), and whole exome/genome sequencing (WES/WGS) studies.
In parallel, we enroll new participants and conduct recontact studies of existing research subjects to identify clinical predictors of tics, co-occurring neuropsychiatric conditions, peak disease severity, triggers of symptom flares, and tic persistence into adulthood.
Dr. Jeremiah Scharf sees patients with Tourette syndrome, other tic disorders, and co-occurring neuropsychiatric disorders as the Director of the Tic Disorders Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. He also sees patients in the Tic Disorders Clinic at Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
Dr. Marisela Dy-Hollins sees children and adolescents with movement disorders such as dystonia, myoclonus, ataxia, Tourette syndrome, and other tic disorders as the Clinical Director of the Pediatric Movement Disorders Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Scharf serves as a member of the Tourette Association of America (TAA) Scientific Advisory Board. The TAA works to educate the public about Tourette syndrome, connect patients with providers, and support research on TS and other tic disorders.
Dr. Scharf is also a co-director of the MGH-TAA TS Center of Excellence, which supports tic disorder treatment, research, and community outreach and events.
