Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reorganization of sensory input at brainstem in hemifacial spasm and postparalytic facial syndrome

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Neurological Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We hypothesized the filtering of sensory input from face and hand at brainstem may reorganize in hemifacial spasm (HFS) and postparalytic facial syndrome (PFS). Thus, we examined the prepulse inhibition of blink reflex (BR-PPI) in HFS and PFS. We included 12 healthy subjects, 13 patients with HFS, and 11 patients with PFS. Baseline BR, BR recovery at interstimulus interval (ISI) of 300 ms and BR-PPI at ISI of 100 ms were performed on the right sides of healthy subjects and on both sides of patients. Within-subject analysis showed baseline BR and BR-PPI were similar between asymptomatic and symptomatic sides of patients with HFS whereas BR recovery was higher on the symptomatic side. In the PFS group, latency of R2 during baseline BR recording was longer (p = 0.022) and R2 amplitude (p = 0.046) was reduced on the symptomatic side compared to asymptomatic side. Reduction of R2 area in BR-PPI recordings was also the lowest in HFS compared to other two groups (p = 0.000); however, it was also lower in patients with PFS compared to healthy subjects (p = 0.018). BR-PPI was decreased on both sides of patients. The mean R2 recovery was higher on both sides of patients with HFS and PFS (p = 0.007). Filtering of facial sensory input is decreased probably to monitor and to correct the sequence of facial movements in these disorders.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Auger RG (1979) Hemifacial spasm: clinical and electrophysiologic observations. Neurology 29:1261–1272

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Valls-Solé J (2002) Facial palsy, postparalytic facial syndrome, and hemifacial spasm. Mov Disord 17:S49–S52

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Esteban A, Molina-Negro P (1986) Primary hemifacial spasm: a neurophysiological study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 49:58–63

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Martinelli P, Giuliani S, Ippoliti M (1992) Hemifacial spasm due to peripheral injury of facial nerve: a nuclear syndrome? Mov Disord 7:181–184

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Valls-Sole J, Tolosa ES (1989) Blink reflex excitability cycle in hemifacial spasm. Neurology 39:1061–1066

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Eekhof JL, Aramideh M, Speelman JD, Devriese PP, Ongerboer De Visser BW (2000) Blink reflexes and lateral spreading in patients with synkinesia after Bell’s palsy and in hemifacial spasm. Eur Neurol 43:141–146

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Hu S, Wu Y, Li C et al (2015) Increasing functional connectivity of the anterior cingulate cortex during the course of recovery from Bell’s palsy. Neuroreport 26:6–12

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Klingner CM, Volk GF, Brodoehl S, Witte OW, Guntinas-Lichius O (2014) The effects of deefferentation without deafferentation on functional connectivity in patients with facial palsy. Neuroimage Clin 6:26–31

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Yildiz S, Bademkiran F, Yildiz N, Aydogdu I, Uludag B, Ertekin C (2007) Facial motor cortex plasticity in patients with unilateral peripheral facial paralysis. NeuroRehabilitation 22:133–140

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Liepert J, Oreja-Guevara C, Cohen LG, Tegenthoff M, Hallett M, Malin JP (1999) Plasticity of cortical hand muscle representation in patients with hemifacial spasm. Neurosci Lett 272:33–36

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Boelhouwer AJW, Teurlings RJMA, Brunia CHM (1991) The effect of an acoustic warning stimulus upon the electrically elicited blink reflex in humans. Psychophysiology 28:133–139

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Ison JR, Sanes JN, Foss JA, Pinckney LA (1990) Facilitation and inhibition of the human startle blink reflex by stimulus anticipation. Behav Neurosci 104:418–429

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Rossi A, Scarpini C (1992) Gating of trigemino-facial reflex from low-threshold trigeminal and extratrigeminal cutaneous fibres in humans. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 55:774–780

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Koch M, Kungel M, Herbert H (1993) Cholinergic neurons in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus are involved in the mediation of prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response in the rat. Exp Brain Res 97:71–82

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Saitoh K, Tilson HA, Shaw S, Dyer RS (1987) Possible role of the brainstem in the mediation of prepulse inhibition in the rat. Neurosci Lett 75:216–222

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Swerdlow NR, Geyer MA (1993) Prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle in rats after lesions of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus. Behav Neurosci 107:104–117

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Valls-Sole J, Valldeoriola F, Molinuevo JL, Cossu G, Nobbe F (1999) Prepulse modulation of the startle reaction and the blink reflex in normal human subjects. Exp Brain Res 129:49–56

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Yaman M, Sahin S, Kiziltan ME (2009) Blink reflex recovery in central and peripherally originated movement disorders of the cranio-cervical area: a comparative study. Electromyogr Clin Neurophysiol 49(1):19–25

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Ogawara K, Kuwabara S, Kamitsukasa I, Mizobuchi K, Misawa S, Hattori T (2004) Trigeminal afferent input alters the excitability of facial motoneurons in hemifacial spasm. Neurology 62(10):1749–1752

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Miwa H, Yamaji Y, Abe H, Mizuno Y (1996) Evaluation of the somatosensory evoked blink response in patients with neurological disorders. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 60(5):539–543

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Valls-Solé J, Muñoz JE, Valldeoriola F (2004) Abnormalities of prepulse inhibition do not depend on blink reflex excitability: a study in Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. Clin Neurophysiol 115:1527–1536

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Rohleder C, Wiedermann D, Neumaier B et al (2016) The functional networks of prepulse inhibition: neuronal connectivity analysis based on FDG-PET in awake and unrestrained rats. Front Behav Neurosci 10:148

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Bao F, Wang Y, Liu J et al (2015) Structural changes in the CNS of patients with hemifacial spasm. Neuroscience 289:56–62

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Uysal H, Özkan Ö, Barçın E, Şenol U, Tombak K, Özkan Ö (2016) Referred facial sensation on the hand after full face transplantation. Neurology 86:836–839

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Cattaneo L, Chierici E, Pavesi G (2005) Bell’s palsy-induced blepharospasm relieved by passive eyelid closure and responsive to apomorphine. Clin Neurophysiol 116:2348–2353

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Miwa H, Kondo T, Mizuno Y (2002) Bell’s palsy-induced blepharospasm. J Neurol 249:452–454

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Rijntjes M, Tegenthoff M, Liepert J et al (1997) Cortical reorganization in patients with facial palsy. Ann Neurol 41:621–630

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Meral E. Kızıltan & Ayşegul Gunduz

Authors
  1. Meral E. Kızıltan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ayşegul Gunduz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ayşegul Gunduz.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kızıltan, M.E., Gunduz, A. Reorganization of sensory input at brainstem in hemifacial spasm and postparalytic facial syndrome. Neurol Sci 39, 313–319 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-017-3185-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-017-3185-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation