Blink Reflex Excitability Recovery Curves in Children with Aseptic Meningitis Syndrome

Muscle stiffness or spasms and nuchal stiffness are usually associated with meningitis syndrome, but it is unknown whether or not such stiffness of the meningitis syndrome relates to a central nerve system dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate excitability of the brain stem reticular formation in children with aseptic meningitis syndrome. The recovery cycle of the late response (R2) component of the blink reflex was studied in 12 children with aseptic meningitis syndrome and in 76 healthy control subjects. The R2 recovery was significantly enhanced at the interstimulus interval of 100 ms in children with aseptic meningitis syndrome in the acute stage, but it was not enhanced in the convalescent stage. This result suggests that the hyperexcitable R2 response transiently originate from reduced neural activity of the brain stem interneurons, and also explains such dysfunctions of the central inhibitory system can contribute concomitantly to muscle stiffness or nuchal stiffness in aseptic meningitis syndrome during acute stage.