Overview:

Moebius syndrome is a congenital palsy of the facial nerve. The facial nerve is cranial nerve seven (CN VII), and it is essential for the proper functioning of the muscles used in facial expression. Most cases of Moebius syndrome have palsy of other cranial nerves as well, especially the abducens nerve (CN VI). The abducens nerve is important for abduction of the eyes.  In other words, the abducens nerve is essential for moving the eyes away from the nose.  The tongue is sometimes paralyzed because of a non-functional or absent hypoglossal nerve (CN XII). Go to the next page for a description of the symptoms.

Because of the motor deficits of the face, people with Moebius syndrome often have trouble interacting in a social setting.  Not only is much of how humans communicate is conveyed through the use of facial expression, but paralysis of the tongue often impairs speech.  Most people with Moebius syndrome have perfectly normal mental abilities.

History:

A doctor named Von Graaefe first described congenital facial paralysis in 1880.  Moebius's namesake, however, is a man named Paul Julius Moebius.  He published two papers in 1888 and 1892 in which he described how congenital facial paralysis was related to other malformations, such as palsy of the abducens (CN VI) and some limb deformities.  These two papers have become the  basis for diagnosing Moebius syndrome.

Synonyms:

Moebius syndrome is also known as congenital facial diplegia, Möbius syndrome, Mobius syndrome, nuclear agenesis, congenital nuclear hypoplasia, congenital oculofacial paralysis, and congenital abducens-facial paralysis. Moebius syndrome is often confused with hypoglossia-hypodactyly syndrome, Charlie-M syndrome, and glossopalatine-ankylosis syndrome because many of the symptoms overlap.