behavior/neurological
• in response to an air puff, mice display defects ranging from complete inability to operate eyelids to mild defects where only a narrow slit remains open; 72% of animals are severely affected
• all animals were unable to completely close eyelids (eyeblink reflex) on at least one side
• 44% of mutants exhibit unilateral constraint of most anterior whisking range in response to air puff stimulus
• 7% exhibited one-sided weakness of pinna retraction in response to stimulus
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• mice show completely penetrant partial facial paralysis
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nervous system
• in mice with a severe eyeblink defect, zygomatic branch of facial nerve is exceedingly thin or absent; sometimes the nerve takes an aberrant trajectory
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