Blink reflex in Huntingon's chorea and Parkinson's disease

The electrically-evoked late response (R2) of the blink reflex has been determined in 8 well-documented cases of Huntington's chorea and in 19 Parkinsonian patients. The results obtained from the two groups are compared with those from 10 normal subjects. A statistically significant difference of some components of the blink reflex was obtained when the three groups were compared. In both pathological conditions, the habituation index, latency and differential latency can be considered to represent the opposite extremes from the same scale, providing further evidence of the neurophysiological antagonism between the two disease states. The blink reflex pattern in Huntington's chorea probably reflects a diminished brain-stem interneurone basal activity through an over-inhibition of dopaminergic receptors in the striatum. The electrophysiological analysis of the blink reflex in incipient Huntington's chorea can provide an objective diagnostic assessment. It might be an effective method of detection for dopaminergic-activated carriers asking for genetic counseling.