Below is the topic of our presentation at the 4th European Congress of NeuroRehabilitation (ECNR) in Lausanne, Switzerland in October 25-28 2017.
“Facial synkinesis after Bell’s palsy are caused by neuroplastic changes in patients mimetic patterns, NOT by aberrant regeneration of facial nerve and are, therefore, reversible.”
Speaking about the cause of facial synkinesis, the most commonly accepted hypothesis is aberrant regeneration or “mis-wiring” of facial nerve during recovery.
In our work we have researched whether the results achieved by our patients could be explained from the position of aberrant regeneration. We could not find reasonable explanation to those improvements, if aberrant regeneration were really the cause of facial synkinesis.
Recovery results of our patients in the video are a proof that synkinesis is NOT caused by aberrant regeneration.
Then, we have questioned the aberrant regeneration as being the cause of synkinesis, and after several years of studies and research, based on the results of our patients, we have come to the following conclusions:
- Synkineses are pathological mimetic patterns
- Synkineses are formed as dynamic stereotypes in the volitional (rational) mimetic center of the brain
- Formation and consolidation of Synkinesis is based on a mechanism of conditioned reflex
As any other conditioned reflex, facial synkinesis can be successfully reversed by negative feedback, and that is what we do together with our patients in the clinic and what has been demonstrated by the results of this study.
