Changes in blink reflex after simultaneous supraorbital and mental nerve stimulations in healthy subjects.

Background/aim: In this study, we investigated the blink reflex (BR) after simultaneous and asynchronous stimulation of two trigeminal nerve branches. The objective was to characterize the physiology of trigeminal and facial circuits.

Materials And Methods: We performed three sets of experiments: recording BR response i.

Blink reflex excitability in patients with Hemifacial spasm exhibiting different abnormal discharge patterns: from early isolated discharges to later grouped bursts or tonic spasms.

Objective: We studied blink reflex (BR) and BR excitability recovery (BRER) in patients with hemifacial spasm (HFS) exhibiting different abnormal discharge patterns. We hypothesized that patients with groups of clonic or tonic burst activities appear later in the disease course and may have more excitability of the BR circuit at the brainstem compared to patients with isolated twitchings, which occur earlier.

Methods: We included 124 patients with botulinum toxin-naive HFS (mean age 50.

Late Component of the Trigemino-Cervical Reflex: Clinical and Neuroradiological Correlations.

Introduction: The authors aimed to analyze the possible relationship of the late response of trigemino-cervical reflex (TCR) with various clinical conditions having brainstem lesions and lesion localizations in the brainstem.

Methods: The authors enrolled 30 healthy subjects, 16 patients with stroke, 14 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and 9 patients with neuro-Behçet disease. All patients had at least one MRI, and lesion localization was classified into midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata, or their combinations.

Cutaneous silent period modulation by tooth clenching, tonic and phasic limb movements in healthy subjects.

Objective: We aimed to examine the modulation of the cutaneous silent period (CSP) by tooth clenching and contralateral tonic dorsiflexion of lower limb and phasic voluntary movements of upper limb.

Methods: In 18 healthy subjects, we recorded CSP on right thenar muscle after painful stimulation of index finger during mild contraction at six conditions: baseline, maximum tooth clenching, contralateral tonic dorsiflexion of foot, as well as at the beginning (RT1), in the middle (RT2) and at last part (RT3) of the contralateral phasic wrist extension. We measured latency and duration and calculated suppression indices.

The Thalamic and Intracortical Inhibitory Function of Somatosensory System Is Unchanged in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy With Hippocampal Sclerosis.

Purpose: In mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis, there is parietal atrophy and cognitive involvement in related domains. In this context, we hypothesized that inhibitory input into somatosensory cortex and thalamus may be increased in these patients, which could improve after epilepsy surgery. Thus, we analyzed the inhibitory function of somatosensory system by studying surround inhibition (SI) and recovery function of somatosensory evoked potentials in patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis.

The role of pedunculopontine nucleus in isolated REM sleep behavior disorder and REM sleep without atonia.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyze the functions of pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) in isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) to investigate the role of PPN in dream-enacting motor behaviors in RBD. We evaluated the activity of PPN through the prepulse modulation (PPM) together with other brainstem reflexes to investigate the differences in changes at brainstem.

Methods: We included nine patients with isolated RSWA and 10 patients with iRBD.

Electrophysiological investigation for autonomic dysfunction in patients with myasthenia gravis: A prospective study.

Background And Purpose: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder of neuromuscular transmission. Autonomic dysfunction is not a commonly known association with MG. We conducted this study to evaluate autonomic functions in MG & subgroups and to investigate the effects of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors.

Surround inhibition in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.

Objective: In healthy subjects, there is a reduction in the amplitudes of somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) after the simultaneous stimulation of two nerves compared to the sum of separate stimulations. This reduction is due to the inhibition of one area in the cortex after stimulation of the neighboring area, which results from the surround inhibition (SI) phenomenon. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether there was a decrease in SI of SEP in patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME).

Modulation of the excitatory phase following the cutaneous silent period by vibration.

Introduction: The post-inhibition excitatory phase (E3) of the cutaneous silent period (CSP) is attributed to the resynchronization of motoneuron activity following the inhibitory period but there is also evidence that a somatosensory startle reflex may contribute to this phase. We hypothesized that the startle reflex component contained in E3 will decrease during vibration.

Methods: Sixteen healthy individuals were included in the study.

Seizures in patients with respiratory disease - a retrospective single center study.

Objective: Seizures are a neurological condition commonly experienced during the follow-up period after systemic or metabolic disorders. The aim of the present study was to determine the etiological factors of seizures in patients at a tertiary care chest clinic.

Methods: We reviewed all neurology consultations that were requested due to seizures in inpatient clinics in a tertiary care hospital specializing in respiratory disorders between January 2011 and January 2018 were retrospectively reviewed.

Modulation of the Somatosensory Blink Reflex in the Peripersonal Space Is Defective in Episodic Migraine.

Objective: In migraine, there is an altered behavior of patients during the attack and an altered connectivity in the cortical structures modulating and encoding the sensation and pain. Thus, we hypothesized that the extent of the peripersonal space (PPS) and the responses in the PPS may change during a migraine attack. For this reason, we analyzed the modulation of somatosensory blink reflex (SBR) in the PPS during episodic migraine.

Brainstem reflexes in neuro-Behçet disease.

We hypothesized that brainstem responses may allow detection of functional brainstem changes in patients with neuro-Behçet Disease (NBD). Thus, we recorded electrically-induced blink reflex (eBR), auditory blink reflex (aBR) and electrically-induced masseter inhibitory reflex (eMIR) in 16patients with NBD. However, these neurophysiological tests proved to have a poor overall sensitivity compared to neuroimaging for the diagnosis of brainstem lesions.

Recovery function of somatosensory evoked potentials in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.

We analysed the recovery function of somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) patients. We hypothesized that there may be disinhibition in the recovery of SEPs at 20-100 ms intervals in JME patients. We recorded SEPs and SEP recovery in 19 consecutive patients with JME admitted for a routine follow-up examination, and in a control group composed of 13 healthy subjects who were similar to the patient group regarding age and sex.

Fear leads to a deficit of prepulse inhibition of blink reflex in healthy humans.

Objective: We aimed to analyze whether or not fear conditioning exerts an effect on prepulse inhibition (PPI) of blink reflex (BR). To create fear conditioning, we used fearful faces. Since fearful faces lead to a specific set of fear conditioning, we hypothesized PPI of BR would change under the observation of fearful faces.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Its Variants: Clinical Course and Prognostic Factors.

Introduction: We aimed to analyze the frequency, clinical characteristics, medical treatment options and final functional status of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and its variants in a population from a tertiary hospital setting.

Methods: All medical records of patients with acute inflammatory polyneuropathy between the years of 1998-2013 were retrospectively screened. Demographic, clinical and laboratory information, treatment options and the rate of recovery of the patients were gathered.

Effects of vibration on cutaneous silent period.

Suppression of an ongoing muscle contraction following noxious digital stimulation is called cutaneous silent period (CSP) which is under the influence of several physiological factors. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the influence of group Ia afferents on the cutaneous silent period (CSP) by applying 2-min vibration. CSP was obtained from abductor pollicis brevis muscle after stimulating index finger.

Role of mesial temporal lobe structures in sensory processing in humans: a prepulse modulation study in temporal lobe epilepsy.

Prepulse modulation (PPM) is an electrophysiological method which enables to assess sensory processing in vivo. Reflex responses may be facilitated or inhibited (prepulse inhibition, PPI) after a weak stimulus. Theoretically, in animal studies, the generator of PPI involves pedunculopontine nucleus which is modulated by various structures, including amygdala.

Reduced inhibition in brainstem circuits in classical trigeminal neuralgia.

Objective: We hypothesized that prepulse modulation (PPM) would be altered in trigeminal neuralgia (TN) if suprasegmental inhibitory network involvement was present and tested our hypothesis in a group of patients with classical TN.

Methods: The study enrolled nine consecutive patients with classical TN and 14 healthy subjects. Diagnosis and classification followed the International Classification of Headache Disorders-third edition (beta version).

Reorganization of sensorimotor gating after peripheral facial palsy starts at brainstem.

Background and objective We aimed to analyze the alterations in sensorimotor gating at brainstem after peripheral facial palsy (PFP). To examine sensorimotor gating, we used prepulse modulation (PPM) of blink reflex (BR). We also recorded BR recovery to identify excitability changes in the facial nucleus.

Myoclonus in the elderly: A retrospective analysis of clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of patients referred to an electrophysiology laboratory.

Background And Objective: Late-onset myoclonus in the elderly is mainly related to dementia or systemic disease. In this report, we aimed to investigate the clinical and electrophysiological features of patients with late-onset myoclonus.

Patients And Method: We retrospectively assessed the medical records of patients who were referred to our electromyography laboratory.