title: Light-stimulus-evoked blink reflex: methods, normal values, relation to other blink reflexes, and observations in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: The blink reflex may be evoked by auditory click or light stimulation, the latter being constantly present in all healthy subjects. The latency and amplitude of the light-stimulus-evoked blink response (L-BR) is influenced by the light intensity, distance between the light stimulus and the eye, attention, and background facilitation. The L-BR was abnormal in 75% of definite and 61% of probable multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. When abnormal, the L-BR was more commonly absent than delayed. Optic nerve lesions could be identified by the pattern of abnormalities in the L-BR in some patients. The L-BR has proved to be a sensitive detector of abnormalities in the visual connections and, in combination with the Vth nerve stimulation-evoked blink response, a valuable detector of brainstem lesions.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001767:Blinking; D003391:Cranial Nerves; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D004576:Electromyography; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time