Not sure if they're the same, but I think there may be a connection. Having suffered various facial tics since being a child, I'm disapointed about how little is known of them. The medical profession doesn't seem to bother, which is a shame as if I could change 1 thing about myself, it would be to get rid of the tics. Sometimes I wonder if my social difficulties are less to do with AS and more due to people feeling uncomfortable around what they consider to be a freak with tics.
I also have some stims, but they are far less compulsive. They seem more like making one feel better, more relaxed. Self-calming that can quite easily be stopped if required. Tics are about an ever-increasing tension that becomes unbearable, and is impossible to stop even in the most inappropriate situation.
The thing is that nervousness and tics feedback horribly, it isn't just nerves that cause tics, tics cause nervousness! And some things I've read seem to get the 'voluntary', 'involuntary' aspects wrong. The tic is generally voluntary, it is the urgeto tic that is involuntary. It is like scratching an itch, you have to do it to relieve the tension that builds until it's overwhelming. I've tried to force myself to stop, but unlike a physical addiction, I've never found a 'pain barrier' that can be broken through after which the urge goes away.
Maybe it's something to do with dopamine processing in the brain? http://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/283.aspx
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Circular logic is correct because it is.