Trigemino-Hypoglossal Silent Period – A New Pontomedullary Brainstem Reflex

Introduction: Inhibitory connections between neurons of the sensory trigeminal nucleus and the hypoglossal nucleus have been described in the cat (Tomioka et al., 1999). We investigated if these inhibitory pontomedullary projections are also present in man by applying a newly developed stimulation and recording technique. Methods: In a preliminary study we examined 14 healthy subjects (9 males, 5 females, age: 42±13 years) with a specially designed enoral stimulation and recording device. The device allowed unilateral electrical stimulation of the trigeminal (V2) innervated palatal mucosa and simultaneous record…