What is a reflex?
Any reflex is a response to the impact of the stimulus from the external or internal environment of the body. Sounds seemingly somewhat difficult, but try to understand. Any peripheral cell of every organ and every tissue of the body of the child contains a receptor capable of perceiving irritation. The receptor transmits the received information further - sensitive fibers (shoots) of nerve cells. The following links reflex arc - the Central part of the nerve center, i.e., nerve cells receiving the excitation and pass it on. Here, the meet impulse motor nerve cells, and they in response to this impulse leads to the muscle in the movement. Thus, the reflex arc starts and runs kind of team, a certain action. Itself a reflex arc is a set of entities of the nervous system involved in the occurrence of reflex.
According to this principle reflexes determine the vital functions of the body of any person, including a child. But in the case of absolute, innate reflexes of their reflex arc formed before birth in the design of the nervous system. The same formation of conditioned reflexes occurs throughout life, based on acquired experience.
Here is a simple example. Curious little interested not yet cooled mother's Cup. Touching hot - and now reflex tergiverse hand. As it happens? Information Hot! Dangerous! " from receptor in the skin, is transmitted to the sensitive neuron, and further up the chain - motor neuron, which "wakes up" a particular muscle. The hand of the child tergiverse.
This simple chain is called a reflex arc, and only when it is safe (i.e., during normal operation of all its components) can be realized reflex. As an example of an unconditioned reflex can cause a child's reaction the first months of life on a light bar irritation of the corner of his mouth, in response to which she turns her head towards the source of irritation and opens his mouth - so implemented the rooting reflex.
Most of the reflexes of the newborn reflects the evolutionary and individual age and maturity of the child, which allows the doctor to judge the functional condition of an organism of the child in General and, in particular, about the state of his nervous system. Only some of them have particular significance for livelihoods, for example, sucking and upper protective reflexes.
That will see the doctor
Through examination of a newborn child, pediatrician, you need to ensure the safety of some of the main unconditioned reflexes of sucking, swallowing, search reflex, the upper protective reflex, the upper grasping reflex. As a pediatric neurologist in 1 month will hold full serial neurological examination to confirm the absence of lesions is still immature, but structurally formed of the nervous system of the newborn.
To begin with, the doctor will evaluate the appearance of the child. Healthy newborn has a posture of Polyflex (legs and handles bent at the knees and elbows), which is associated with physiological, i.e. specific age toning of the muscles - flexors of the arms and legs. When waking the baby makes spontaneous movement is periodically flexes and extends the legs, randomly waving hands, responds to loud sounds, bright light.
In premature babies reduced spontaneous locomotor activity (chaotic movements of the hands and feet, reaction to light, sounds and muscle tone, and unconditioned reflexes (reflexes of the newborn, which we describe below), generally oppressed.
What reflexes are and how they are evaluated? Basic physiological reflexes are divided into oral and spinal. The reflex arc is first closed at the level of the brain, the second is at the level of the spinal cord.
Oral reflexes
To oral reflexes include the following:
Sucking
nested in the mouth the nipple or the breast of the mother, the baby begins to actively suck. Stored in the first year of life, then dies.
Search (reflex, Kussmaul) - in response to a light bar irritation of the corner of his mouth, the child turns his head to the source of irritation and opens his mouth. Fades to 6-7 weeks of life.
Trunk boars when easy and quick stroke your finger across the lips baby lips protrude in the form of a proboscis (there is a reduction in the circular muscle of the mouth). Fades to 2-3 months.
Palmar-oral
(Babkin reflex) - refers to the mixed oral-spinal reflexes. When pressed on both palms closer to the ball of the thumb, the child opens his mouth, tilts his head, flexes shoulders and upper arms, as if pulling to kulacom. Subsiding to 2 months, quenched to 3 months of life.
The absence or inhibition of these reflexes speaks of the Central nervous system of different origin.
It should be noted that the severity of these reflexes greatly affects how hungry or well-fed baby. Healthy hungry child will respond actively, first in search of the source of irritation around the mouth, and then greedily grasping the mother's breast (or pacifier). Fed the baby will react less active. So be sure to inform your doctor about the time of feeding crumbs, as well as on the number of accepted food.
So the visit was informative for professionals and comfortable for the child, the mother is best to take care that the room was heated to no less than 22-24°C, the inspection should be done no earlier than half an hour after feeding and in natural lighting.
Spinal reflexes
Next, the doctor will examine the reflexes for which the answer is already "floor" of the nervous system. This is spinal reflexes.
The upper protective reflex - when laying on my stomach, the baby turns his head to the side, takes a few rocking motions and tries to lift his head, restoring thus the free access of air into the nasal path.
The essence of the reflex is to prevent violations of external respiration, which occurs lifting head and repositioning it in the newborn lying on his belly. This is one of the most important reflexes, which, along with sucking, search and swallowing reflexes of newborns, initially provides a tiny little man the ability to survive in the new environment. Normal protective reflex is expressed with the first hours of life in children with Central nervous system is reduced or absent. Quenched for 1, 5 months of life.
Reflex supports, straightening and automatic walk
- if the baby, holding the armpits, lift, first child flexes feet in all joints; when touching the feet of the child with the support he straightens the body and stands on bent legs on full stop. Reflex supports fades to 3 months. If the child is slightly tilted forward, it makes stepping movements on the surface without being accompanied by their hand movements (automatic gait newborn). Reflex automatic gait physiological (normal) to 1, 5 months. To 3 months of life, these reactions are quenched, and only towards the end of the first year of life appears the ability to stand and walk. In children with Central nervous system automatic gait is delayed (still is) for a long time.
Reflex crawling (Bauer) - if the newborn was placed on his stomach, he begins to make crawling movements (spontaneous crawling) if to put his hand to the soles of the child - he reflexively pushes her away and creeps more actively. OK this reflex is called with 3-4 days before 3-4 months of life, then dies.
The upper grasping reflex (Janiszewski) and reflex hanging (Robinson) - nested in the arm toddler fingers mothers or doctors child grabs, holds and compresses. Sometimes setting nested in the palm of a child's fingers adult is so strong that the baby can be raised at arm's length. Reflex physiological 3-4 months.
The lower grasping reflex (plantar, the Babinski reflex) is similar to the upper grasping reflex. Called when pressing with your thumb on the sole at the base of the II-III toes. The child produces plantar flexion of toes (presses fingers to the foot); if your finger to make a bar irritation soles on the outer edge of the foot from the heel to the toes, it is the rear extension of the big toe and fanning the divergence of II-V fingers. Fades to 12 months.
Reflex hugs
(grasping, Moro reflex) - called by various techniques. In particular, the punch on the changing table at a distance of 15 cm from the baby's head or sudden noise. In response to this first baby spreads his hands unclench the fingers of the hands, straighten the bent leg (1st phase reflex). After a few seconds, his hands returned to its original position, the child can grasp yourself by hand (2nd phase). Normal 1st and 2nd phase of the reflex depending on the time of the inspection and the condition of the child can be pronounced differently. Is called with the first days of life, physiological 4-5 months.
Reflex Talent
- when holding your forefinger and thumb along the spine of the child from two sides in the direction from the neck to the tailbone he arched Flex back and head in the direction of the stimulus. Reflex is invoked with the 5-6th day of life remains normal until 3-4 months.
Reflex Perez - lying on stomach child swipe up from the coccyx to the neck, pressing lightly on the spinous processes of the vertebrae. The child raises his head, he shows lumbar lordosis (bending the spine forward, he raises the pelvis, bend arms and legs. Sometimes the child begins to cry, observed urination and defecation. The norm has been reported up to 3-4 months. When the Central nervous system is observed inhibition reflex. Be checked by a neurologist along with other spinal automatisms.
Inhibition or absence of the above spinal automatisms is a bad sign, speaking about a possible lesion of the Central nervous system at the spinal cord level.
Postnichestve reflexes
These reflexes characterize the ability of the newborn child adequately redistribute muscle tone depending on changes in body position. Normally, they fade away as toddler alone possesses the basic motor skills - ability to lift his head, to sit, to stand, to walk.
Asymmetric tonic neck reflex (Magnus - Klein) - called when the passive rotation of the head of the child to the side. Is the extension of the arms and legs on the side, which turned the child's face, and bend the opposite. Hand, which turned face, straightens up, increased extensor tone arm, forearm, hand - pose of "swordsman", and in the muscles of the hand, which is facing the back of the head, increased flexor tone.
Symmetrical tonic neck reflexes - when passive flexion of the head of the newborn increased muscle tone of the flexor tendons in the hands and extensor leg. During extension of the head there is a reverse effect - hands unbend and bend the legs. Asymmetric and symmetric cervical reflexes observed in infants constantly. In premature babies, they are poorly expressed.
Labyrinth tonic reflex in the position of the baby on the stomach increases the tension in the flexor muscles: the head is brought to the chest or throws back, back arched, arms bent and also provides to the chest, the hands clench into fists, bend all the joints and provides to the stomach. After a few minutes of this position is replaced by swimming movements, turning into a spontaneous reflex crawling.
Check reflexes over. Your baby has sustained one of his first small exams, and hope to "excellent". However, if revealed alarming symptoms (lack, weakness in one or more of the reflexes or, on the contrary, their presence in time when a reflex should fade away, the doctor will offer you additional examination. Most often this is an ultrasound examination of the brain - echoencephalography. If changes are detected by the pediatrician, he assigns a neurologist, who, in turn, more research.
The family itself is not necessary to check the baby's reflexes are actions undertaken for this purpose (in particular for testing reflexes Talent and Perez), can cause a sharp discomfort and anxiety of the baby. And yet, if you believe one or the other reaction toddler alarming, you should tell the doctor.
Right to examine and make appropriate conclusions can only be a doctor, when assessing the situation and condition of a baby takes into account not only the specific symptoms, but also the conditions in which the study was conducted, other indicators of the health of the baby, as well as the history of pregnancy, childbirth, and even such a brief, yet development crumbs.
If you or the doctor was alarmed by some deviation from the norm, then the next inspection, pay special attention to these nuances. Remember that the child at this age is changing every day, and, as we have already mentioned, symptoms of reflexes depends on a number of conditions (hunger, fatigue and many others). Re-examination must take place after the appointed time - it can be different depending on the intended nature of the pathology - from several days to months, thereby helping to eliminate previous suspicions or, if necessary, to conduct timely treatment.
Author:
Zainetdinov R. S., neonatologist, Kida. the honey. Sciences
Source:
9 months
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