P05: Pre-Congress: Brainstem Reflexes and their Modulation - Full Day
Brainstem reflexes are known neurophysiological procedures used for the assessment of cranial nerve lesions and some central nervous system dysfunctions. However, not all techniques applicable to the study of brainstem reflexes are well-known and their practice may differ between centers. In this pre-congress course, members of the Brainstem SIG of the IFCN will lecture on reflexes currently applicable in clinical practice and their physiological bases. They will also review reflexes uncovered during intraoperative neuromonitoring and present less known neurophysiological techniques and methods. This will be followed by a hands-on session where the attendants will be able to practice on a selection of brainstem reflexes and explore possible technical caveats.
General title: Brainstem reflexes and their modulation
Session 1: Brainstem reflexes in clinical practice
Chair: Eleftherios Papathanasiou
09:00-9:30 Neurophysiological evaluation of cranial nerves as an extension of neurological examination and clinical applications
Ayşegül Gündüz (Istanbul)
09:30-10.00 VEMPs. Principles, Methodology and Clinical Applications
Eleftherios Papathanasiou (Nicosia)
10:00-10:30 Brainstem reflexes in IOM
Joao Leote (Almada)
10:30-11:00 Coffee Break
Session 2: Beyond conventional tests
Chair: Aysegul Gunduz
11:00-11:30 Unconventional brainstem reflexes: Techniques not commonly used and their physiological bases
Josep Valls-Solé
11:30-12.00 Influence of emotional and cognitive factors on blink reflexes
Franca Deriu
12:00-12:30 Assessment of reticular formation nuclei and reticulospinal tracts
John Rothwell
12:30-13:30 — Lunch Break
Session 3:
Hands-On Practice: 13:30-15:00
Participants will be divided into three groups and rotate through stations where they will receive hands-on training in procedures for the VEMP, startle reflex, and blink reflex.
The attendees will learn the following topics:
Eleftherios Papathanasiou: VEMP
Josep Valls-Sole: Startle and StartReact
Aysegul Gunduz: Blink reflex
Objectives:
• Acknowledge the methods for performing reflexes and the excitability of the reflexes.
• Understand the key technical caveats of the methods above.
• Learn the main physiological findings in healthy humans.
