Biomaterial Database

Ontogeny of spontaneous blinking and of habituation of the blink reflex. 1979

A J Zametkin, and J R Stevens, and R Pittman

Habituation of the blink reflex to glabellar percussion was examined in 164 infants and children from ages 2 days to 18 years and in 18 adults aged 18 to 50 years. Spontaneous blink rates were measured in 269 children and 179 adults. The mean number of glabellar taps required for habituation of the blink reflex increased from 2.7 (SD 1.2) at 0 to 2 months of age to a peak of 13.3 (SD 5.6) at age 3 to 4, remained at more than 10 until age 6, after which a rapid decline occurred, reaching the adult level of 2 to 5 blinks to habituation at age 12 years. The mean rate of spontaneous blinking was less than 2 per minute in early infancy and increased steadily during childhood up to age 14 or 15. The inverse relationship of spontaneous blink rate and number of blink reflexes to habituation in early childhood and in disorders of dopamine transmission suggests that spontaneous blink rate and habituation of the blink reflex reflect maturation and integrity of dopaminergic circuits in the brain.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007223	Infant	A child between 1 and 23 months of age.	Infants
D007231	Infant, Newborn	An infant during the first 28 days after birth.	Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D010300	Parkinson Disease	A progressive, degenerative neurologic disease characterized by a TREMOR that is maximal at rest, retropulsion (i.e. a tendency to fall backwards), rigidity, stooped posture, slowness of voluntary movements, and a masklike facial expression. Pathologic features include loss of melanin containing neurons in the substantia nigra and other pigmented nuclei of the brainstem. LEWY BODIES are present in the substantia nigra and locus coeruleus but may also be found in a related condition (LEWY BODY DISEASE, DIFFUSE) characterized by dementia in combination with varying degrees of parkinsonism. (Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p1059, pp1067-75)	Idiopathic Parkinson Disease,Lewy Body Parkinson Disease,Paralysis Agitans,Primary Parkinsonism,Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease,Lewy Body Parkinson's Disease,Parkinson Disease, Idiopathic,Parkinson's Disease,Parkinson's Disease, Idiopathic,Parkinson's Disease, Lewy Body,Parkinsonism, Primary
D010812	Physical Stimulation	Act of eliciting a response from a person or organism through physical contact.	Stimulation, Physical,Physical Stimulations,Stimulations, Physical
D011930	Reaction Time	The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed.	Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D012018	Reflex	An involuntary movement or exercise of function in a part, excited in response to a stimulus applied to the periphery and transmitted to the brain or spinal cord.
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D004558	Electric Stimulation	Use of electric potential or currents to elicit biological responses.	Stimulation, Electric,Electrical Stimulation,Electric Stimulations,Electrical Stimulations,Stimulation, Electrical,Stimulations, Electric,Stimulations, Electrical