Supranuclear palsy of eyelid closure

Abstract

An inability to close the eyes voluntarily while at the same time retaining reflex blinking is described in three patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease. In one patient it is was an early symptom but in the others it formed part of a generalized spastic paralysis. By analogy with other reports it is deduced that in the case of a supranuclear palsy of this type the site of the lesion is probably in the cortical neurons rather than in the descending motor tracts.