2. The blink reflex: Long known, but still fascinating
The blink reflex is routinely used in clinical neurophysiology to characterize the functional integrity of the trigemino-facial reflex pathway covering supraorbital nerve, pons, medulla oblongata, and facial nerve. Recent findings of unconditioned blink reflex alterations, as well as changes in blink reflex modulation by subthreshold prepulse stimuli or suprathreshold double pulse stimulation, in patients with spinal cord injury or chronic pain syndromes, e.g. fibromyalgia, suggest plastic changes at the brainstem level in these conditions. The blink reflex and its modulation also serve to document acute pharmacological effects, e.g. following intrathecal bolus application of the GABA-ergic drug baclofen, thus concurring with an antispastic action of baclofen at the brainstem level. Finall…
MedWorm Sponsor Message: Find the best January Sales in the UK.
Hat Tip To: MedWorm: Back Pain
