Other brain chemicals may also play a part in Tourette syndrome. Tourette syndrome is inherited - this means it's passed down by birth through families. It isn't contagious. You can't catch it from someone like you can catch a cold. Tics and Tourette Syndrome People with Tourette syndrome have motor tics and vocal tics.
Motor tics are movements of the muscles.
These might be blinking, head shaking, jerking of the arms, and shrugging. Vocal tics are sounds that a person with Tourette syndrome might make with his voice. Throat-clearing, grunting, and humming are all common vocal tics. A person with Tourette syndrome will sometimes have more than one tic happening at once. The type of tic can change, and how often the tic occurs can also change.