Figure 1.

Proposed pathophysiology of pseudobulbar affect. (A) Input from the motor, frontal, and temporal cortices to the brainstem is modulated by input from the cerebellum. Inhibitory input from the somatosensory cortex modulates the motor input. (B) Reduced inhibitory input (broken red arrows in the cortex) results in disinhibition, giving rise to pseudobulbar affect.

Notes: Expert review of neurotherapeutics by Future Drugs Ltd. Copyright © 2011, Clearance Center, Inc. Reproduced with permission of Future Drugs Ltd. Miller A, Pratt H, Schiffer RB. Pseudobulbar affect: the spectrum of clinical presentations, etiologies and treatments. Expert Rev Neurother. 2011;11(7):1077–1088.14

Abbreviation: PBA pseudobulbar affect.