The word comes from the Greek κόπρος (kópros), meaning "dung, feces", and λαλιά (laliā́) "speech", from λαλεῖν (laleîn) "to talk".
[7] Coprolalia encompasses the uncontrollable utterance of words and phrases that are culturally taboo or generally unsuitable for acceptable social use, when used out of context.
It is usually expressed out of social or emotional context, and may be spoken in a louder tone or different cadence or pitch than normal conversation.
[10][11] It may occur after traumatic brain injury such as stroke[4] and encephalitis;[4][12] in other neurological conditions such as choreoacanthocytosis,[13] seizures,[14] and Lesch–Nyhan syndrome;[15] and rarely in persons with dementia or obsessive-compulsive disorder in the absence of tics.
Both of these brain areas are responsible for planning and producing speech, which are active during coprolalic vocal tic episodes.
[16] Limbic system structures such as the posterior cingulate cortex are also activated during coprolalic vocal tics.
[19] Further, the criteria for Tourette's syndrome changed in 2000 when the impairment criterion was removed from the DSM-IV-TR for all tic disorders.
[27] Considering the methodological issues affecting all of these reports, the consensus of the Tourette Syndrome Association is that the actual number is below 15 percent.
Specific treatment options for reliving motor and phonic tics (coprolalia) in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome include but are not limited to Botulinum toxin injections, antipsychotics or behavioral therapy depending on the individual's severity of symptoms.
[31] Botulinum injections block neuromuscular transmission and decrease hyperactive muscle fibres thus reducing involuntary movement production.
[34] Habit reversal training is one of the most common CBI strategies used for patients with Tourettes syndrome.
Additionally, these therapies also support TS patients in implementing coping mechanisms following stress-inducing tics.