Tourettes 'brain atlas' to be mapped He is working on the theory that sometimes these differences are caused by Tourettes. "We think some of these differences are due to the brain reorganising to gain some control over the ticks," he said. But we need long-term data to prove that. The "Brain Atlas" study, by the Nottingham Child Neuroimaging Initiative, uses MRI scanning to identify different patterns of brain activity between "normal" and "Tourettes" brains. The hope is to be able to predict who with Tourettes can modify their brains to such an extent that they overpower the condition, and essentially grow out of it. Prof Jackson sai dpublic understanding of Tourettes was low. Sadly people see Tourettes as a joke really. But it isn't a comedy disease. People have committed suicide because they can't live with it. Teachers still stand children with Tourettes in the corner with a dunce's hat on, because they find it difficult to accept that they can't control their ticks. Natalie Pearson, 31, teaches PE at Kingsbury School, a secondary in Birmingham. She got the job despite her Tourettes, which causes occasional outbursts and swearing. She said her pupils had got used to their teacher's language and now tended to ignore it. "Sometimes they find it funny, and they will laugh, but they are laughing with me, not at me," she said. Like many, her ticks are worse when not engaged in an activity, which means she can end up swearing uncontrollably in the school corridor. But she said: "When I go in and teach a class my ticks tend to disappear." She said the school had been "very supportive" and she found it one of the best places to be, as people understood her there. Hannah Prentice, 17, who is part of the Brain Atlas project, said she had days when she wished it would go away. "I say to my mum, "I wish you could have it for on day instead of me, and she says "So do I!" " However, despite her condition she was involved with the UK Youth Parliament and had learnt to cope with it.