Babkin Reflex and Other Motor Responses to Appendicular Compression Stimulus of the Newborn

Abstract

This cross-sectional study evaluated 106 normal newborns with the aim of determining the prevalence of mouth opening, neck rotation, and limb flexion or extension responses triggered by pressure stimuli applied to the hand, forearm, arm, foot, leg, or thigh. Mouth opening, neck rotation, and lower limb flexion responses were found in the three segments of the lower limb, with mouth opening obtained in 100% of newborns, neck rotation in 88.7%, and flexion of lower limbs in 67.9% with stimuli to the hand. Upper limb extension response was obtained by stimulation of the three segments of the lower limb and was found in 86.7% of the infants with stimuli to the foot. The limb segment more effective in eliciting a response was the hand, followed by the foot, forearm, leg, arm, and thigh. When pressure was applied to the three upper segments, the reflex responses of the head, neck, and limb flexion predominated, whereas when pressure was applied to the three lower segments, extension responses of the upper limbs predominated. (J Child Neurol 2004;19:592-596).