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[Feeding function, blink reflex and MRI in the severely handicapped]
1Department of Child Neurology, National Center Hospital for Mental, Nervous and Muscular Disorders, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo.
No to Hattatsu = Brain and Development
|January 6, 2001
Summary
Severe handicaps impact blink reflexes, particularly late components. Abnormalities correlate with feeding issues and lower brainstem dysfunction, suggesting blink reflex assessment for evaluating these functions.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Physiology
Context:
- Severe handicaps can affect neurological functions.
- Lower brainstem symptoms like drooling and absent gag reflex are common in such patients.
Purpose:
- To investigate the relationship between blink reflexes and feeding problems in patients with severe handicaps.
- To correlate blink reflex abnormalities with other lower brainstem symptoms and brainstem size.
Summary:
- Blink reflexes (R1, R2, R2' components) were studied in 41 patients with severe handicaps.
- Abnormalities in blink reflexes, especially late components (R2, R2'), were significantly more frequent in tube-fed patients compared to orally-fed patients.
- These abnormalities also correlated with symptoms like drooling, stridor, and absent gag reflex.
Impact:
- Blink reflex assessment, particularly of late components, can serve as a valuable indicator for evaluating feeding function.
- This study highlights the utility of blink reflex testing in assessing lower brainstem function in severely handicapped individuals.