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Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1996 May;60(5):539–543. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.60.5.539

Evaluation of the somatosensory evoked blink response in patients with neurological disorders.

H Miwa 1, Y Yamaji 1, H Abe 1, Y Mizuno 1
PMCID: PMC486367  PMID: 8778259

Abstract

BACKGROUND--The somatosensory evoked blink response (SBR) is a characteristic reflex blink elicited by electrical stimulation of peripheral nerves or other anatomical sites. METHODS--139 patients with neurological disorders were examined for presence of the SBR. Although the SBR was not usually elicitable, it was present in a subset of patients with Parkinson's disease and with hemifacial spasm. It was also present in a patient with Guillain-Barré syndrome before the recovery phase. The latency of the EMG activities responsible for the SBR was significantly shorter than that of the startle blink. CONCLUSIONS--The SBR is not a variant of the startle blink, but is a release phenomenon transmitted via the brainstem reticular formation. This response may be clinically relevant in disorders associated with brainstem lesions and abnormal blinking.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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