Long-term depression of the human blink reflex
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 28, 2026

Using Electroencephalography Measurements and High-quality Video Recording for Analyzing Visual Perception of Media Content
Published on: May 26, 2018
1Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Emil-Fischer Center, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Fahrstrasse 17, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
Abstract:
Long-term depression (LTD) of synaptic transmission is reliably induced by low-frequency stimulation (LFS) of presynaptic nerve fibers in vitro. Many experiments suggest that LTD of basal transmission is not readily induced either in awake or anesthetized animals in vivo. In order to fill the gap between the in vitro cell studies and the in vivo situation, the effect of LFS on trigeminal somatosensory processing in healthy volunteers was investigated. Excitability of trigeminal sensory neurons was tested by applying the blink reflex (BR) elicited by electric stimulation of supraorbital nerve afferents. LFS of these afferents induced a significant reduction of the BR integral, a significant increase of the BR onset latency and a significant decrease of the stimulus intensity ratings. This depressive effect on the BR lasted for at least 1 h after the end of LFS. Thus, this study documented for the first time a long-term depression of trigeminal somatosensory processing in healthy volunteers.
Related Concept Videos
Long-term Depression
Calcium Ion Concentration Mechanism
If over time, all...
Long-term Depression
Accessory Structures of the Eye
Photoreceptors and Visual Pathways
