Phonic tics

What it means

Tics are defined as movements or sounds that resemble physiological motor behaviors, but are typically inopportune to social context and appear sudden, repetitive, and often exaggerated. Tic vocalizations commonly termed vocal or phonic tics may include any possible sound (eg, sniffing, coughing, throat clearing, whistling, or grunting), word, or sentence and are most commonly encountered within the spectrum of primary tic disorders, as Tourette syndrome.

In Tourette syndrome (TS), affected individuals have tics, including phonic and vocal behaviors, that are typically preceded by premonitory urges and can be suppressed voluntarily. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may also present with vocal tics. However, in ASD premonitory urges and overall vocal tic awareness may be reduced compared to people with primary tic disorders and TS. Phonic tics have been described in a variety of other disorders including Klinefelter, fragile X, and Adams-Oliver syndrome, monosomy 9p and trisomy 16p, neurodegenerative syndromes such as Huntington disease. Furthermore, chorea-acanthocytosis because of VPS13A mutations, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis frontotemporal dementia overlap syndromes, progressive supranuclear palsy, and pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration may present with vocal tics. Neurometabolic disorders such as Wilson's disease or phenylketonuria, focal brain lesions, infectious, and other autoimmune diseases are additional causes of vocal tics. Finally, phonic or vocal tics may also be drug-induced, either directly related to the acute effects of drugs (e.g., cocaine) or as a long-term consequence, such as in tardive tic disorders.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Verbal tics · Vocal tics