Bulbar palsy refers to impairment of function of the cranial nerves IX, X, XI and XII, which occurs due to a lower motor neuron lesion either at nuclear or fascicular level in the medulla oblongata or from lesions of the lower cranial nerves outside the brainstem.[1]

In contrast, pseudobulbar palsy describes impairment of function of cranial nerves IX-XII due to upper motor neuron lesions of the corticobulbar tracts in the mid-pons. For clinically evident dysfunction to occur, such lesions must be bilateral as these cranial nerve nuclei receive bilateral innervation.

Bulbar palsy is an assortment of signs and symptoms, not the name of a precise disease.