Pseudobulbar palsy is a motor condition caused by underlying nervous system conditions. It can cause physical and emotional complications, including slow speech, difficulty swallowing or chewing, emotional instability, and inappropriate outbursts of crying or laughing. There is no cure, and symptoms worsen over time, leading to complete paralysis and disability.
Pseudobulbar palsy is a motor condition that can also be referred to as pseudobulbar palsy. It is generally the result of another underlying nervous system condition and can cause any number of physical and emotional complications. Individuals with pseudobulbar palsy exhibit slow speech and often have difficulty swallowing or chewing. Weakened facial muscles often make a person appear expressionless or even emotionless. The condition could also cause the individual to experience emotional instability, resulting in inappropriate or sudden outbursts of uncontrolled crying or laughing.
This type of paralysis can be the result of a large number of underlying nervous system conditions. Causes of pseudobulbar palsy include vascular problems, such as bilateral hemisphere infarction and CADASIL syndrome. Degenerative disorders, brainstem tumors, and Parkinson’s disease can also lead to pseudobulbar palsy. Other possible causes include other types of paralysis, such as progressive supranuclear palsy and some inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. When these or other neurologic and nervous system conditions are present, motor neuron degeneration can occur, resulting in pseudobulbar palsy.
Individuals with pseudobulbar palsy may experience embarrassing or inappropriate emotional outbursts. The condition, for example, can cause a person to burst out laughing at something others wouldn’t find funny or cry uncontrollably in a situation that is generally considered to be only mildly sad. Patients suffering from this condition will often find it difficult to perform activities that also use the muscles in the head and neck. Other symptoms might include slurred speech, jaw jerks, a stiff, spastic tongue, and an absent or exaggerated gag reflex.
The social ramifications of this condition can result in extreme depression and withdrawal. Daily activities, socializing, and pursuing professional careers can all be affected. Individuals who become severely depressed may also neglect general health and daily hygiene practices. In these cases, counseling or certain medications may help. Medications that may be prescribed to treat the emotional symptoms of the condition include amantadine, fluoxetine, levodopa and amitriptyline.
Pseudobulbar palsy is a progressive degenerative condition for which there is no cure. Individuals who suffer from it typically only get worse over time. Activities such as chewing, swallowing and talking will gradually become more difficult. Most often, symptoms will develop and advance over the course of several years, eventually leading to complete paralysis and disability. Once the patient has become disabled, the risk of aspiration or suffocation increases, which can lead to serious illness or death.
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