Synonyms
Pseudobulbar affect; Pseudobulbar paralysis; Spastic bulbar palsy
Short Description or Definition
The term “pseudobulbar palsy” is used to denote dysarthria and dysphagia caused by lesions of the upper motor neuron fibers in the corticobulbar pathways, as opposed to bulbar palsy, which is caused by lesions of the brain stem or lower motor neurons. The syndrome of pseudobulbar palsy can also be associated with pseudobulbar affect (PBA), and sometimes the two terms are used interchangeably. Lesions of descending white matter pathways can produce abnormal pseudobulbar affect and can be observed in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and other cortical syndromes. Patients with pseudobulbar affect exhibit bouts of crying or laughter that are not associated with underlying feelings of sadness or happiness and typically occur with disruptions to corticopontine-cerebellar networks that are integral to regulating emotional expression.
Epidemiology
The epidemiology of pseudobulbar palsy is...
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References and Readings
Brooks, B. R., Crumpacker, D., Fellus, J., Kantor, D., & Kaye, R. E. (2013). PRISM: A novel research tool to assess the prevalence of pseudobulbar affect symptoms across neurological conditions. PLoS One, 8, 1–8.
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Meadows, ME. (2018). Pseudobulbar Palsy. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1394
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1394
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