title: Exteroceptive suppression of the masseter and temporalis muscles and parkinsonian rigidity.
abstract: Exteroceptive suppression of the masseter and temporalis muscles, produced by electrical stimulation of the mental nerve, was studied in 40 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 18 age-matched control subjects. Prior to the stimulation, background electromyographic activity showed no difference between the normal subjects and patients with PD. The latency in the patients with PD did not differ from that in the normal subjects. The duration and degree of suppression were lower in the patients with PD when compared with the normal subjects. The low level of degree was more obvious in patients with severe rigidity in the neck. A low degree of exteroceptive suppression might play a partial role in causing rigidity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000547:Amantadine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001479:Basal Ganglia; D001971:Bromocriptine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009127:Muscle Rigidity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D009470:Muscle Spindles / Q000503:physiopathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D013703:Temporal Muscle / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014276:Trigeminal Nerve; D014282:Trihexyphenidyl / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D001971:Bromocriptine; D007980:Levodopa; D014282:Trihexyphenidyl; D000547:Amantadine