A tic is a sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic, stereotyped motor movement or vocalization involving discrete muscle groups. 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.

Description and classification

Tics are classified as motor vs. phonic and simple vs. complex.

Motor tics are movement-based tics affecting discrete muscle groups.

Phonic tics are involuntary sounds produced by moving air through the nose, mouth, or throat. They may be alternately referred to as verbal tics or vocal tics, but most diagnosticians prefer the term phonic tics to reflect the notion that the vocal cords are not involved in all tics that produce sound.

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. Neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks described a physician with severe Tourette syndrome (Canadian Mort Doran, M.D., a pilot and surgeon in real life, although a pseudonym was used in the book), whose tics remitted almost completely while he was performing surgery.

Immediately preceding tic onset, most individuals are aware of an urge that is similar to the need to yawn, sneeze, blink, or scratch an itch. Individuals describe the need to tic as a buildup of tension that they consciously choose to release, as if they "had to do it". Examples of this 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.

Tics are described as semi-voluntary or unvoluntary, because they are not strictly involuntary—they may be experienced as a voluntary response to the unwanted, premonitory urge. A unique aspect of tics, relative to other movement disorders, is that they are suppressible yet irresistible; they are experienced as an irresistible urge that must eventually be expressed. Motor tics can be of an endless variety and may include such movements as hand clapping, neck stretching, mouth movements, head, arm or leg jerks, and facial grimacing.

A simple phonic tic can be almost any sound or noise, with common vocal tics being throat clearing, sniffing, or grunting. as in the case of klazomania (compulsive shouting).

Tic disorders

Tic disorders occur along a spectrum, ranging from mild to more severe, and are classified according to duration and severity (transient tics, chronic tics, or Tourette syndrome). Tourette syndrome is the more severe expression of a spectrum of tic disorders, which are thought to be due to the same genetic vulnerability. Nevertheless, most cases of Tourette syndrome are not severe. The treatment for the spectrum of tic disorders is similar to the treatment of Tourette syndrome.

Differential diagnosis

Dystonias, choreas, other genetic conditions, and secondary causes of tics should be ruled out in the differential diagnosis. and stereotypic movement disorder; Sydenham's chorea; idiopathic dystonia; and genetic conditions such as Huntington's disease, neuroacanthocytosis, Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Wilson's disease, and tuberous sclerosis. Other possibilities include chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome, Klinefelter's syndrome, XYY syndrome and fragile X syndrome. Acquired causes of tics include drug-induced tics, head trauma, encephalitis, stroke, and carbon monoxide poisoning. Most of these conditions are rarer than tic disorders, and a thorough history and examination may be enough to rule them out, without medical or screening tests. Tics that begin after the age of 18 are generally not considered symptoms of Tourette's syndrome.

Tests may be ordered as necessary to rule out other conditions: for example, when diagnostic confusion between tics and seizure activity exists, an EEG may be ordered, or symptoms may indicate that an MRI is needed to rule out brain abnormalities. TSH levels can be measured to rule out hypothyroidism, which can be a cause of tics. Brain imaging studies are not usually warranted. most cases are mild.

Tics must be distinguished from fasciculations. Small twitches of the upper or lower eyelid, for example, are not tics, because they do not involve a whole muscle. They are twitches of a few muscle fibre bundles, which one can feel but barely see.

Notes

Further reading

Black, Kevin J. Tourette Syndrome and Other Tic Disorders.

Evidente, GH. "Is it a tic or Tourette's? Clues for differentiating simple from more complex tic disorders." PostGraduate Medicine Online. October 2000 108:5.

Swerdlow, NR. "Tourette Syndrome: Current Controversies and the Battlefield Landscape". Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2005, 5:329-331. PMID 16131414 The Tourette Syndrome Classification Study Group. "Definitions and classification of tic disorders". Arch. Neurol. 50 (10): 1013-6. PMID 8215958. Retrieved on 2005-03-22

Category:Habits Category:Symptoms Category:Tourette syndrome

Coordinates	38°53′51.61″N77°2′11.58″N
Name	Andrew Bird
Landscape	yes
Background	solo_singer
Born	July 11, 1973Chicago, IllinoisUnited States
Instrument	Voice, whistling, violin, guitar, glockenspiel
Genre	Indie rock, indie folk, folk rock, baroque pop
Occupation	Musician, Songwriter
Years active	1996–present
Label	Rykodisc, Righteous Babe, Fat Possum, RCRD LBL, Bella Union, Earwig Music, Waterbug, Carrot Top, Delmark
Associated acts	Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Kevin O'Donnells Quality Six
Url	andrewbird.net

Andrew Bird (born July 11, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.

History

Early life and the Bowl of Fire (1973–2002)

Trained in the Suzuki method from the age of four, Bird graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor's degree in violin performance in 1996. That same year he self-released his first solo album, Music of Hair. Vastly different from his later work, this album showcased his violin skills and paid tribute to his fascination with both American and European folk traditions, as well as jazz and blues. Following this, his initial commercial exposure came through collaborative work with the band Squirrel Nut Zippers, appearing on three of their albums (Hot, Sold Out, and Perennial Favorites) between 1996 and 1998.

Taking on the role of bandleader, Bird released Thrills on Rykodisc in 1997 with his group Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, shortly followed by second album Oh! The Grandeur in 1998. Both albums were heavily influenced by traditional folk, pre-war jazz, and swing, with Bird relying on the violin as his primary musical instrument, as well as providing vocals along with his trademark verbose lyrics. The Bowl of Fire featured musicians from Bird's home town of Chicago, including Kevin O'Donnell, Joshua Hirsch, Nora O'Connor, Andy Hopkins, Jimmy Sutton, Colin Bunn, and Ryan Hembrey. During this period, Andrew Bird was a member of the jazz group Kevin O'Donnells Quality Six, for which he was the lead singer and violinist and contributed to arrangements and songwriting for the albums Heretic Blues (Delmark 1999) and Control Freak (Delmark 2000) (both Delmark albums were produced by Raymond Salvatore Harmon).

In 2001, the Bowl of Fire released their third album, The Swimming Hour, a dramatic departure from their previous recordings. It featured a mixture of styles, from the zydeco-influenced "Core and Rind" to more straightforward rock songs such as "11:11". Due to this eclectic nature, Bird has often referred to it as his "jukebox album". Although gaining critical praise (The Swimming Hour received a 9.0 from indie music website Pitchfork), the band failed to attain commercial success or recognition, playing to audiences as small as 40 people. In 2002, Bird was asked to open for a band in his hometown of Chicago, but fellow Bowl of Fire members were unavailable for the date. The reluctant Bird performed the gig alone, and the surprising success of this solo show suggested potential new directions for his music. The album was recorded in collaboration with electronic musician Martin Dosh, and includes a track composed by Dosh (with lyrics by Bird) entitled "Simple X". This song first appeared without Bird's lyrics as "Simple Exercises" on Dosh's 2004 release Pure Trash. The album was produced by Ben Durrant (who had worked on Dosh's The Lost Take), and also featured Haley Bonar and Chris Morrissey. In advance of the March release date, Armchair Apocrypha was leaked to the Internet in January 2007. The album went on to sell over 100,000 copies.

On May 20, 2007, National Public Radio aired a live concert by Bird from Washington, D.C.'s He also worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for his 2007 spring tour.

Five of his songs — "Banking on a Myth" from "The Mysterious Production of Eggs," a medley of "I" from Weather Systems and "Imitosis" from "Armchair Apocrypha," and "Skin" and "Weather Systems" from Weather Systems — have been licensed for use by Marriott Residence Inn.

Since March 2008, Bird has contributed to "Measure for Measure," a New York Times blog in which musicians write about their songwriting process. In it, he has charted the development of the song "Oh No," previewing samples at various stages of development through to the finished album recording. He also discussed the conception of the song "Natural Disaster," the recording of instrumental piece "Hot Math," and previewed "Master Sigh." The first two songs were later released on Bird's 2009 album "Noble Beast," whilst the latter two appeared on its bonus disc "Useless Creatures."

In December 2008, Bird appeared in the second series of Nigel Godrich's From the Basement alongside Radiohead and Fleet Foxes. His performance included a preview of new song "Section 8 City," a ten minute re-imagining of "Sectionate City," which originally appeared on the "Soldier On EP."

Bird's fifth solo album, "Noble Beast," was released on January 20, 2009, and contained fourteen new songs, with bonus tracks available for download from iTunes and eMusic. "The Privateers" is a re-imagining of a very early song entitled "The Confession" from 1999's "Oh! The Grandeur."

In 2009, Bird contributed a cover of the song "The Giant of Illinois" to the HIV and AIDS benefit album "Dark Was the Night" produced by the Red Hot Organization. On May 11, 2009, Bird released the EP "Fitz and the Dizzy Spells." It contains "Fitz and the Dizzyspells" from "Noble Beast," as well as other songs from that album's recording sessions. Some of the songs on the EP were previously available for download from iTunes and eMusic as bonus tracks to "Noble Beast."

In 2010, Bird recorded with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, contributing vocals and violin on a cover of "Shake It and Break It" on "Preservation: An Album to Benefit Preservation Hall & The Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program."

Influences

Growing up, Bird was surrounded by classical music. As a child, he was interested in Irish tunes and bluegrass. He also cites English and Scottish folk music as an early influence. His early jazz influences were Johnny Hodges, Lester Young, and Fats Waller. He has also had a number of classical influences such as Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Bela Bartok. Other influences included jazz, swing, calypso, and folk. Bird has stated that, at 22, he found a lot of indie rock and pop music repetitive and boring, but now understands it better.

Discography

Bowl of Fire albums

Thrills (1998)

Oh! The Grandeur (1999)

The Swimming Hour (2001)

Solo albums

Music of Hair (1996)

Weather Systems (2003)

Andrew Bird & the Mysterious Production of Eggs (2005)

Armchair Apocrypha (2007, Fat Possum) #76 US

Noble Beast (2009, Fat Possum) #12 US

Live albums

Fingerlings (2002, Grimsey Records)

Fingerlings 2 (2004, Grimsey)

Fingerlings 3 (2006, Grimsey)

Live In Montreal (2008, Bella Union)

Fingerlings 4 (2010, Wegawam Music Co.)

EPs and singles

The Ballad of the Red Shoes (2002)

Sovay (2005, Fargo Records) – single

Live at Bonnaroo Music Festival (2006, Live at Bonnaroo Music Festival) – Live EP

Soldier On (2007) – European tour EP

Fitz and the Dizzy Spells (2009)

Anonanimal (2009) – single

Other album appearances

Kiltartan Road – Joy to the Morning (1995)

Kat Eggleston – Outside Eden (1996, Waterbug Records)

Lil Ed and Dave Weld with The Imperial Flames – Keep On Walkin' (1996, Earwig Music)

Andrew Calhoun – Phoenix Envy (1996, Earwig Music)

Charlie Nobody – Soup (1996)

Squirrel Nut Zippers – Hot (1996, Mammoth Records)

Squirrel Nut Zippers – Perennial Favorites (1998, Mammoth)

Rose Polenzani – Dragersville (1998, The Orchard)

Pinetop Seven – Rigging the Toplights (1998)

Extra Virgin – Twelve Stories High (1999)

Kevin O'Donnell – Heretic Blues (1999, Delmark Records)

Andrew Calhoun – Where Blue Meets Blue (1999, Waterbug)

Sally Timms – Cowboy Sally's Twilight Laments for Lost Buckaroos (1999, Bloodshot Records)

Squirrel Nut Zippers – Bedlam Ballroom (2000, Hollywood Records)

The Blacks – Just Like Home (2000, Bloodshot)

The Handsome Family – In the Air (2000, Carrot Top Records)

Devil in a Woodpile – Division Street (2000, Bloodshot)

Kevin O'Donnell – Control Freak (2000 · Delmark Records)

Neko Case – Canadian Amp (2001)

The Verve Pipe – Underneath (2001, RCA Records)

Jenny Toomey – Antidote (2001, Misra Records)

Kelly Hogan – Because It Feel Good (2001, Bloodshot)

Sinister Luck Ensemble – Anniversary (2002, Perishable Records)

Abandon Jalopy – Mercy (2002)

- "Core and Rind" (2002)

Kristin Hersh – The Grotto (2003)

The Autumn Defense – Circles (2003, Arena Rock Recording Co.)

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy – Sings Greatest Palace Music (2004, Drag City)

Bobby Bare, Jr. – From the End of Your Leash (2004, Bloodshot)

Nora O'Connor – Til the Dawn (2004, Bloodshot)

Ani DiFranco – Knuckle Down (2005, Righteous Babe Records)

My Morning Jacket – Z (2005, ATO Records)

Bobby Bare – The Moon Was Blue (2005, Dualtone Music Group)

Emily Loizeau – London Town (in French and English) (2006)

Dosh – The Lost Take (2006, anticon.)

Candi Staton – His Hands (2006, Astralwerks)

Magnolia Electric Co. – The Black Ram (2007, Secretly Canadian)

KFOG Live From the Archives Volume 14 – (2007)

Song of America - "How You Gonna Keep 'Em Down On the Farm" (2007, Split Rock Records/Thirty One Tigers)

Charlie Louvin - "Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs" (2008, Tompkins Square)

Todd Sickafoose - "Tiny Resistors" (2008, Cryptogramophone)

Dosh – Wolves and Wishes (2008, anticon.)

Final Fantasy – Plays to Please (2008, Blocks Recording Club)

Dianogah – Qhnnnl (2008, Southern Records)

Loney, Dear - Dear John (2009)

Dark Was the Night – "The Giant of Illinois" (Red Hot Organization, 2009)

Live at KEXP Vol.5- Oh No (2009)

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down - Know Better Learn Faster (2009, Kill Rock Stars)

Dosh – Tommy

Twistable Turnable Man: A Musical Tribute to Shel Silverstein - The Twistable, Turnable Man Returns (2010, Sugar Hill Records)

References

External links

Official site

Andrew Bird collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive

TED talks

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