Degeneration of nuclei of the brainstem, especially parts of the vagal nuclei complex and the reticular formation, in Parkinson's disease (PD) may in part be responsible for nonmotor signs like obstipation, cardiac dysfunction and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD). The aim of the study was to establish a new blink reflex (BR) variant involving the vagal nuclei complex and the reticular formation and to investigate BR comprehensively using 3 different afferent routes in PD.
