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tic (tik) (Fr. tēk) an involuntary, compulsive, rapid, repetitive, stereotyped movement or vocalization, experienced as irresistible although it can be suppressed for some length of time; occurrence is increased by stress and reduced during sleep or engrossing activities. Tics may be caused by psychologic or neurologic factors and are subclassified as either simple (such as eye blinking, shoulder shrugging, coughing, or grunting) or complex (such as facial gestures, involuntary speaking of words or phrases, or imitation of someone else's movements). tic douloureux
(doo-loo-rdbobrŽ)
a painful disorder of the trigeminal nerve, characterized by severe pain in the face and forehead on the affected side, extending to the midline of the face and head,
triggered by stimuli such as cold drafts, chewing, drinking cold liquids, brushing the hair, or washing the face. Called also
trigeminal neuralgia. facial tic
spasm of the facial muscles. habit tic
any tic that is psychogenic in origin; they are repetitive twitching movements that seem purposeless or without a cause, such
as twitching of the face, blinking of the eyes, or grimacing. The movements are rapid and always repeated in the same way,
unlike the spasms associated with chorea. The motions are carried out automatically in response to a stimulus that may have existed at some former time but no longer
does. Called also habit spasm.
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