The oral cavity and pharynx are anatomically separate but functionally integrated regions of the head. The two regions are involved in complex motor responses that include feeding, chewing, swallowing, speech, and respiration. The multiple sensory receptors that innervate these two regions provide the first link in reflexes that control muscles of the entire head, upper gastrointestinal tract, ...

Jaw, blink and corneal reflexes, which all involve the trigeminal system, were recorded in 54 patients with multiple sclerosis; thirty-seven of these patients were classified as having definite multiple sclerosis and 17 as indefinite multiple sclerosis, according to Schumacher's criteria. The jaw reflex was abnormal less frequently than either of the other two reflexes, but in four cases it was...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Hyperekplexia and the stiff-man syndrome (SMS) are both conditions with exaggerated startle suggesting abnormal brainstem function. Investigation of brainstem reflexes may provide insight into disturbed reflex excitation and inhibition underlying these movement disorders. PATIENTS AND METHODS Using four-channel EMG, we examined four trigeminal brainstem reflexes (mon...

In 80 controls latencies of flexor carpi radialis (FCR) and in 94 controls latencies of soleus H-reflexes correlated well with length of the extremity, body height and age. Multiple regression equations using latency as a variable dependent on age and body height can be best used in practice when both reflexes are employed for demonstration of proximal pathology. The majority (69%) of 93 patien...

Jaw reflexes and masseter electromyograms were studied in five patients with mesencephalic and 11 patients with pontine lesions, vascular or tumorous in nature. In the former group jaw reflexes were abnormal, being delayed or absent, whereas masseter electromyograms were normal. In the latter group, both jaw reflexes and masseter EMG, showing denervation, were abnormal in six and both normal in...

BACKGROUND Neonates reproduce facial movements in response to an adult model just after birth. This neonatal oral imitation usually disappears at about 2- to 3-months of age following the development of cortical control. There is controversy relating to the nature and neural basis of such neonatal imitation. To address this issue, we studied the relationship between oral imitation, primitive re...

INTRODUCTION Low back disorders (LBDs) are one of the most prevalent and costly musculoskeletal problems in the United States. Abnormal paraspinal reflexes have been linked to low-back pain [1,2] and neuromuscular fatigue has been shown to affect reflexes in multiple muscle groups [3]. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lumbar extensor fatigue on paraspinal re...