• E Kızıltan Meral M Department of Neurology, Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey., Pınar Bekdik Şirinocak, Tuba Akıncı, Tuba Cerrahoğlu Şirin, Burcu Nuran Arkalı, Fatma Candan, and Ayşegül Gündüz.
• Department of Neurology, Cerrahpaşa School of Medicine, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul, Turkey.
• Neurol. Sci. 2019 Feb 1; 40 (2): 305-310.

ObjectiveIn this study, we analyzed the inhibitory control on the trigemino-cervical reflex (TCR), and whether or not prepulse modulation (PPM) has an effect on TCR. Thus, we studied the PPM of TCR. We hypothesized that TCR would presumably be under the modulatory effect after the prepulse stimulus similar to blink reflex (BR). We also studied the recovery of TCR which was previously shown.MethodsWe included 13 healthy individuals. All subjects underwent recordings of TCR, TCR-PPM, and recovery of TCR. For TCR-PPM, a subthreshold stimulus to second finger 50 or 100 ms before the test stimulus was applied. For recovery of TCR, two stimuli at the infraorbital nerve were applied at 300, 500, and 800 ms interstimulus intervals (ISIs).ResultsThere was an inhibition of bilateral late responses of TCR at the ISIs of both 50 ms and 100 ms. There was no change of latencies. Full recovery of TCR did not develop even at the ISI 800 ms.DiscussionWe have provided an evidence for the TCR-PPM in healthy subjects for the first time in this study. The prepulse inhibition is attributed to the functions of the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus. Our study provides a strong indication that there are connections between pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus and trigemino-cervical circuit, which produces TCR.

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