Term information
- UMLS:C2169806
Tics can be invisible to the observer, such as abdominal tensing or toe crunching. Common motor and phonic tics are, respectively, eye blinking and throat clearing. Movements of other movement disorders (for example, chorea, dystonia, myoclonus) must be distinguished from tics. Other conditions, such as autism and stereotypic movement disorder, also include movements which may be confused with tics. Tics must also be distinguished from the compulsions of OCD and from seizure activity. Tics may increase as a result of stress, fatigue, boredom, or high-energy emotions, which can include negative emotions, such as anxiety, but positive emotions as well, such as excitement or anticipation. Relaxation may result in a tic increase (for instance, watching television or using a computer), while concentration on an absorbing activity often leads to a decrease in tics.
Repeated, individually recognizable, intermittent movements or movement fragments that are almost always briefly suppresable and are usually associated with awareness of an urge to perform the movement.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29791879
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2609/
Tics are involuntary, sudden, rapid, repetitive, non-rhythmic, simple or complex movements or vocalizations. Simple motor tics involve a single muscle or group of muscles (including ocular muscles) and may be misdiagnosed as myoclonic seizures. Complex motor tics involve a cluster of simple actions or coordinated sequence of movements that may be purposeful or non-purposeful and may be misdiagnosed as focal impaired awareness seizures, particularly in individuals with learning disability and / or communication problems. Tics are common in childhood and have a tendency to wax and wane in frequency over time. An urge or compulsion to perform the tic, and an ability to suppress the tic (to some degree) are important features on history that support the events being tics.