Nervous Tics: Types, Symptoms, Causes And Treatments
All of us have experienced situations throughout our lives in which, due to our level of stress or nervousness, a series of mild but usually quite annoying nervous tics
Although this is usually temporary and does not have to be linked to any medical condition, nervous tics can become chronic; triggering symptoms of anguish and anxiety that tend to make them worse.
By tics we understand all those involuntary body movements that appear as a result of a nervous contraction These movements can appear in a multitude of muscle groups that, on other occasions, the person does move at will.
As a general rule, the person can more or less control these tics, but not without this requiring great effort on their part. However, it is most likely that these will appear repeatedly and in a more serious or intense manner.
Likewise, both the intensity and frequency of nervous tics will be much greater in in highly stressful situations
Some of the involuntary movements traditionally associated with nervous tics are:
Usually, these nervous tics occur for the first time in childhood, especially around the age of five, and are also more common in men than in women. In most cases, tics remain limited in time, fading and disappearing over approximately a year. Nevertheless In some cases they can become a chronic disorder especially when these are associated with some type of disorder or physical alteration.
All those people who suffer from some type of nervous tic usually report a high degree of anguish and irritation in relation to them, both because it tends to attract the attention of those around them and because it is not pleasant to experience sudden movements at times. more inopportune. This anguish can lead to feelings of anxiety and stress which can make the situation even worse, since the more anxiety there is, the more likely nervous tics will appear.
What types of tics exist?
There is a small classification for nervous tics, which can be differentiated between phonic or vocal tics and motor tinc. Additionally, each of these groups can be subclassified into simple or complex tics. Therefore, the grouping would be as follows.
1. Simple and complex motor tics
Nervous tics of the simple motor category are those that occur most frequently in the general population. These use only a limited number of muscles ; such as: movements of eyelids and eyebrows, hands or arms.
On the other hand, complex motor movements use and combine different muscle groups, giving rise to jumps, punches, pirouettes or echopraxias, in which the affected person performs involuntary imitations of another person’s movements.
2. Simple and complex phonic tics
As their name indicates, nervous tics, both simple and complex, refer to the involuntary and uncontrollable emission of sounds In simple ones, the person can perform behaviors such as snorting, throat clearing or nasal squeaking, while complex ones consist of the automatic and uncontrolled repetition of words.
What happens with Tourette Syndrome?
Tourette Syndrome is considered to be the complex neurological disorder in which phonic nervous tics and motor nervous tics are combined For these tics to be considered symptomatic of Tourette Syndrome, they must have been present for more than a year, without a latency period of more than two months.
Additionally, this condition usually appears in combination with other symptoms such as behaviors of an obsessive-compulsive nature and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The genetic cause of this syndrome has been determined, establishing the hypothesis that it is transmitted in an autosomal dominant manner. However, there are other genetic conditions that may be involved; such as genetic amplification, which refers to the gradual deterioration of the disease through generations.
Usually, this syndrome begins with symptoms of nervousness and restlessness that can be confused with ADHD and then motor symptoms appear such as facial nervous tics and small twitches. Finally, phonic tics appear, which usually confirms the diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome.
Causes and risk factors of nervous tics
Except for the case of Tourette Syndrome, whose causes have been established as genetic, for the moment It has been impossible to determine the exact causes of nervous tics not associated with another condition Like Huntington’s Korea, which also presents tics and has a genetic origin.
However, numerous lines of research point to the possibility that brain chemistry, specifically neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin or amino acids such as glutamate, plays a fundamental role in the appearance and development of these nervous tics.
On the other hand, there are some specific cases in which the cause of the tic can be determined. These are:
Regarding risk factors, there are a series of situations that facilitate the appearance of nervous tics. Those are:
Genetic factors: families with members who experience bouts of nervous tics.
Sex: it has been observed that the incidence of tics appears It is much greater in men than in women
As mentioned above, In most cases, nervous tics subside automatically and without the need for any type of treatment. However, in those people in whom involuntary movements significantly interfere with their daily lives, there are very effective treatments when it comes to mitigating or solving the problem.
The most appropriate type of treatment for the patient will depend on the type of tic, as well as its severity. However, there are three categories of treatment that can be combined for greater effectiveness. These include psychological therapy, medication or deep brain stimulation.
1. Psychological therapy
Through techniques such as exposure and response prevention (ERP) or habit reversal therapy people can identify when a tic is going to appear and prevent it or use movements that are incompatible with it.
2. Pharmacological treatment
Either alone or as a complement to psychological intervention, there are certain medications that are quite useful in reducing the appearance of tics. These medications are:
Muscle relaxants.
Botulinum toxin injections.
Anticonvulsant drugs
Antidopaminergic medication.
Drugs for associated symptoms such as antidepressants or anxiolytics.
3. Deep brain stimulation
In those patients in whom previous treatments have not been effective and tics pose a serious problem for their quality of life, deep brain stimulation can be used. Through this technique, a device is implanted in the patient’s brain which through electrical stimulation manages to reduce the intensity and appearance of nervous tics.
