The Blink reflex elicited by electrical stimulation of the supraorbital nerve consists of two temporally separate components an early R1, and a late R2 reflex. Where as R1, evoked only on the side of the stimulation, is a simple pontine reflex, R2, recorded bilaterally with unilateral stimulation, is relayed through a more complex route that includes the pons and lateral medulla. Afferent impulses of R2 enter the ponse through the trigeminal nerve, descend to the ipsilateral spinal tract and ascend to make evantual connections with both ipsilateral and contralateral facial unclei.

The purpose of this paper is to describe normal values and variations of the reflex response of orbicularis oculi muscle elicited by electrical stimulation of supraorbital nerve, and application of this data as a control for assesment of 57 cases of facial palsy, 6 cases of upper motor neuron disease and 5 cases of peripheral neuropathy which had experienced in our department during one and half years since Jan. 1980.

1. The latency of early R1 is 10.29±1.8 msed in normal healthy Korean.

2. The latency of late R2 is 30.2±13.5 msec, consensual R2 30±13.6 msec.

3. Normal variation of R1 between the two sides of one individual is 0.36±0.69 msec.

4. The value of reflex study, if combined with the nerve excitability tests, is suggested in improving the accuracy of early prognosis in periperal facial palsy.

5. The facial paresis with retain reflex responses have good prognosis, but the latencies of R1 are 12.86±7.2 late R2 36.3±15 and consensual R2 37.3±24.6, which tend to shift to the right, significantly.