Buccopalpebral reflex in Parkinson disease and blink reflex study
Yasemin Unal1, Gulnihal Kutlu, Abidin Erdal
1Department of Neurology, Ankara Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
|July 27, 2013
Summary
Researchers defined a new buccopalpebral reflex (BPR) in Parkinson disease patients. BPR-positive patients showed shorter blink reflex latencies, suggesting a potential diagnostic indicator.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neurophysiology
Background:
- Parkinson disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder.
- Primitive reflexes can offer insights into neurological function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define and investigate the buccopalpebral reflex (BPR) in Parkinson disease patients.
- To assess the clinical and neurophysiological characteristics of BPR in PD.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study of 17 Parkinson disease patients (9 BPR positive, 8 BPR negative).
- Stimulation of trigeminal nerve branches using blink reflex technique.
- Assessment of Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn and Yahr Score (HYS), blink frequency, and disease duration.
Main Results:
- Buccopalpebral reflex (BPR) positive patients exhibited significantly shorter R2 and contralateral R2 latencies.
- Dominant symptoms in BPR positive patients included tremor or bradykinesia.
- No significant differences were found in MMSE, UPDRS, HYS, blink frequency, or disease duration between groups.
Conclusions:
- The buccopalpebral reflex (BPR) may serve as a sensitive indicator in Parkinson disease.
- Abnormal blink reflex findings in BPR positive patients support its potential diagnostic value.
- BPR could be analogous to Myerson's sign, indicating altered reflex thresholds.
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