Which movement disorder is characterized by sudden, rapid, recurrent motor tics that can be suppressed temporarily?

• A. Dystonia
• B. Athetosis
• C. Chorea
• D. Tics

Answer: (D)

This description points to tics. Tics are sudden, rapid, recurrent motor movements (and sometimes vocalizations) that patients can often suppress for short periods with effort, only to have them return. This suppression ability and the waxing-and-waning pattern help distinguish tics from other movement disorders.

Dystonia involves sustained or repetitive muscle contractions that cause abnormal postures or twisting, not brief, discrete movements. Athetosis features slow, writhing, continuous movements. Chorea presents as abrupt, irregular, dance-like movements that are typically not reliably suppressed. So the ability to briefly suppress these quick, repetitive motions best matches tics.