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Evolution of skin reflexes in the first years of life
Insights
This study tracked 28 skin reflexes in infants and children, finding that limb reflexes disappear early, while trunk reflexes persist longer. This developmental timeline is crucial for assessing neurological health.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Skin reflexes are important indicators of neurological development in infants and children.
- Understanding the typical timeline for the disappearance of various skin reflexes is essential for clinical assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document the developmental trajectory of 28 distinct skin reflexes.
- To establish the age ranges for the disappearance of limb and trunk reflexes in healthy children.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal tracking of skin reflexes in term infants (Group A) and healthy infants (Group B) up to three years.
- Cross-sectional study of healthy children aged four to 14 years (Group C).
- Recording the age of disappearance for 28 specific skin reflexes, categorizing them into early and late disappearing groups.
Main Results:
- 14 limb reflexes disappeared by approximately 16 months of age.
- An additional 4 limb reflexes disappeared between the second and third years, totaling 18 'early' disappearing reflexes.
- Nine 'late' disappearing trunk reflexes vanished between five and 14 years of age.
- Abdominal skin reflexes did not disappear in any observed group.
Conclusions:
- The timing of skin reflex disappearance follows distinct patterns for limb and trunk reflexes.
- Persistent or reappearing reflexes that should have disappeared indicate potential pathological conditions.
- This data provides a valuable reference for developmental assessment and neurological prognosis in pediatric care.
Abstract:
The evolution of 28 skin reflexes was recorded. In a group of term infants (group A) the 14 limb reflexes disappeared by about 16 months of age and the 14 predominantly truncal reflexes persisted beyond that age. A second group of healthy infants (group B) were followed until the end of their third year. This study and the following cross-sectional study of healthy children from four to 14 years (group C) showed that the same 14 (limb) skin reflexes disappeared early at about the end of the first year. Another four limb reflexes disappeared during the second and third years. These 18 reflexes formed the group with 'early' disappearance. Nine trunk reflexes, mainly dorsal, disappeared between the fifth and 14th years: these formed the group with 'late' disappearance. Abdominal skin reflexes did not disappear. This information concerning time of disappearance is significant when assessing development and for prognosis, since the persistance or reappearance of reflexes which normally disappear indicates a pathological state.