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Asymmetry in plantar grasp response during infancy
Insights
Asymmetric plantar grasp reflex in infants often indicates brain dysfunction. Early monitoring is crucial for detecting potential neurologic abnormalities and developmental delays in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Background:
- Asymmetric plantar grasp reflex is an early indicator noted in infants.
- Infants with this reflex often present with perinatal risk factors or other neurologic signs.
- Understanding the long-term implications of this reflex is essential for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the long-term neurologic outcomes of children exhibiting asymmetric plantar grasp responses during infancy.
- To determine the correlation between asymmetric plantar grasp reflex and subsequent neurodevelopmental issues.
- To establish the predictive value of this reflex for identifying brain dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- Follow-up evaluation of 61 children with asymmetric plantar grasp responses.
- Assessment of neurologic outcomes including cerebral palsy, motor development, and intelligence.
- Analysis of concordance between reflex asymmetry, motor function, and computed tomography (CT) findings.
Main Results:
- A significant proportion of children (38/61) developed cerebral palsy.
- Other outcomes included delayed motor development (6), mental retardation (3), and borderline intelligence (9).
- Concordance was observed between the side of the abnormal reflex and lateralized motor/CT findings, suggesting localized brain dysfunction.
Conclusions:
- Asymmetric plantar grasp reflex is a strong predictor of underlying brain dysfunction in infants.
- Close neurologic monitoring of infants with this reflex is recommended to identify and manage developmental abnormalities.
- This finding highlights the importance of early neurologic assessment in at-risk infants.
Abstract:
The neurologic outcomes of 61 children with asymmetric plantar grasp responses during infancy were evaluated during a follow-up period of 2.8-11.9 years (mean: 6.1 years). They all had perinatal risk factors and/or neurologic signs except for asymmetric plantar grasp responses recorded during infancy. The outcomes consisted of cerebral palsy in 38, delay in motor development in 6, mental retardation in 3, borderline intelligence in 9, and normal in 5. Most patients demonstrated concordance between the side of the abnormal response and the laterally in motor function and abnormal computed tomographic findings. The asymmetry in the plantar grasp response strongly suggests the existence of brain dysfunction. Infants with this asymmetry should be carefully monitored for the development of neurologic abnormalities.