Sensory phenomena
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Sensory phenomena are general feelings, urges or bodily sensations that precede or accompany repetitive behaviors[1] associated with Tourette syndrome and tic disorders. These phenomena are also defined as "generalized or focal uncomfortable feelings or sensations preceding tics that usually are relieved by the movement".[1]
Sensory phenomena resemble urges or sensations associated with akathisia and restless legs syndrome, in which motor movement also relieves the unpleasant sensation. "Individuals with tics may have either a generalized or a localized sensation of tension that is relieved by movement, ie, the tic."[1]
Sensory phenomena include bodily sensations, mental urges, and a sense of inner tension, feelings of incompleteness, and a need for things to be "just right". Bodily sensations include focal or generalized body sensations (usually tactile, muscular-skeletal/visceral, or both); mental sensations include urge only, energy release (mental energy that builds up and needs to be discharged), incompleteness, and just-right perceptions. They may be an important measure for grouping patients along the OCD-Tourette's disorder spectrum.[1] The presence of sensory phenomena differentiates subjects with Tourette syndrome plus obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) from subjects with OCD alone.[1]
In contrast to the stereotyped movements of other movement disorders (e.g.; choreas, dystonias, myoclonus, and dyskinesias), the tics of Tourette's are temporarily suppressible and preceded by a premonitory urge.[1] Immediately preceding tic onset, most individuals with Tourette syndrome are aware of an urge,[1] which is similar to the need to sneeze or scratch an itch. Individuals describe the need to tic as the buildup of tension in a particular anatomical location,[1] which they consciously choose to release, as if the subject "had to do it".[1] Examples of the premonitory urge are the feeling of having something in one's throat, or a localized discomfort in the shoulders, leading to the need to clear one's throat or shrug the shoulders. The actual tic may be felt as relieving this tension or sensation, similar to scratching an itch. Another example is blinking to relieve an uncomfortable sensation in the eye. Published descriptions of the tics of Tourette's identify sensory phenomena as the core symptom of Tourette syndrome, even though they are not included in the diagnostic criteria.[1][1]
See also
Topics related to Tourette syndrome | |
|---|---|
| Main | Causes and origins · History · Sociological and cultural aspects · Treatment |
| Terms | Coprolalia · Copropraxia · Echolalia · Echopraxia · Palilalia · Sensory phenomena · Tic · Tic disorder · Tourettism |
| History | Jean-Martin Charcot · Georges Gilles de la Tourette · Jean Marc Gaspard Itard · Arthur K. Shapiro |
| Organizations | Tourette Syndrome Association · Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada |
| Media | I Have Tourette's but Tourette's Doesn't Have Me · John's Not Mad · The Tic Code · "Le Petit Tourette" · Motherless Brooklyn |
| Notable people | Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf · Howard Ahmanson, Jr · Pete Bennett · Brad Cohen · Jim Eisenreich · Tim Howard · Samuel Johnson · Andre Malraux · Tobias Picker · Nick van Bloss · Michael Wolff |
References
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
