Increased brainstem excitability in stiff-person syndrome
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 30, 2026

Breathing-controlled Electrical Stimulation (BreEStim) for Management of Neuropathic Pain and Spasticity
Published on: January 10, 2013
F M Molloy1, M C Dalakas, Mary Kay Floeter
1Electromyography Section, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/NIH, Building 10, Rm. 5C101, 10 Center Drive, MSC 1428, Bethesda, MD 20892-1428, USA.
Abstract:
The recovery cycle of the R2 component of the blink reflex was studied in five patients with stiff-person syndrome (SPS) and in seven healthy control subjects. R2 recovery was enhanced in patients with SPS. This result is suggestive of hyperexcitability of brainstem interneuronal circuits in SPS. Hyperexcitability may result from abnormal input from suprasegmental structures or loss of inhibition by interneurons and is compatible with the proposal that there is a widespread dysfunction of central inhibitory mechanisms in SPS.
Related Concept Videos
Increased Intracranial Pressure ll: Pathophysiology
Muscle Stimulation Frequency
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
Increased Intracranial Pressure l: Introduction
Cerebral Edema ll: Pathophysiology
Alterations in Muscle Tone lll
Alterations in Muscle Tone ll