It is a primitive reflection present in infants. An automatic response that usually manifests itself in the first months of life and that gradually disappears
The Reflex of Moro of the newborn It is one of the best known reflections in pediatrics, it is a primitive reflection in infants. An automatic response that usually manifests itself in the first months of life and that gradually disappears within the first 4-6 months.
It is carefully evaluated by pediatricians, but its “theatricality” makes it easily recognizable even by parents and non-medicians. It is important because it is a fundamental indicator of Good neurological development of babies. In fact, his presence and disappearance in scheduled times are positive signals of the development of the child.
At the same time, if it persists beyond the normal period or manifests itself in an abnormal way (absence, reduction, asymmetry, hyperactivity), it could indicate the need for additional attention by the pediatrician.
What is Moro’s reflection?
The reflex of Moroso called in honor of the Austrian pediatrician Ernst Moro who described him for the first time in 1918, It is a neonatal reflection present from birth. It manifests itself as an involuntary response to sudden stimuli, like a strong noise or a sudden change Of positioncharacterized by an initial extension of the limbs and opening of the hands, followed by a rapid phase of approaching the arms to the body and the return to the rest position.
But what is Moro’s reflection, in phylogenetic terms? Nothing more than an ancestral memory that binds us to our past of primates and is part of the infant instinct. It is believed, in fact, that Moro’s reflection has one evolutionary protection functionallowing the newborn to grab the mother or another support in response to a sensation of fall.
How is Moro’s reflection manifests?
Moro’s reflection manifests itself with one typical sequence of movements which allows you to recognize it extremely ease. First of all, in order to be unleashed, it needs a stimulus.
This can be represented by strong noises or movements, or even just resting the newborn in a slightly quick and sharp way.
After the stimulus, the boy or girl widens the arms (abduction and extension), spreads the fingers of the little hands as a fan and, to follow, performs a movement of contraction of the arms towards the body (flexion-adduction) and then showed, Usually, a cry or a moan.
Together with the arms, in the initial phase the legs could also open and extend. In summary it is possible to divide Moro’s reflection into three phases:
- The newborn quickly moves the arms and legs to the outside;
- Subsequently, he brings his arms back to the body as if he wanted to embrace himself;
- It could cry or vocalize during this response movement.
When is Moro’s reflection lost?
What months does Moro’s reflection appear? As anticipated, Moro’s reflection is a completely normal phenomenon – if present in a transitory way – that It appears around the 32nd week of gestation.
In fact, Moro’s reflection is present at birth and manifests itself immediately after childbirth. It is one of the primitive reflections that is controlled to evaluate the neurological health of the newborn immediately after birth. While, it is expected to decrease and disappear between 3 and 6 months.
What does it mean if the newborn does not lose the reflex of Moro?
And if The newborn does not lose the reflex of Moro within 6 months of life? This could imply neurological problems or brain injuries possibly due to trauma, infections or other conditions related to the period of gestation or occurred after childbirth.
Also, his persistence beyond the 6 months threshold It could be associated with the attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) around 8-11 years of life (hypothesis advanced by a study which, however, is not conclusive at the moment).
When to worry about Moro’s reflection? In addition to his persistence after 6 months of life, also an absent, reduced, asymmetrical or hyperactive reflection in the first months of life could indicate various pathological situations.
What should you pay attention to practical terms? If the newborn shows no reaction to stimuli Which normally should unleash Moro’s reflection, or if it shows only a minimum reaction, better to consult the doctor.
The same is true if the reaction And asymmetricalin the sense that half of the body reacts and the other remains motionless (or little we lack).
Finally, contact the pediatrician if, after a stimulus, the newborn shows a very strong response, with wide and vigorous movements of the arms and legs, perhaps with difficulty returning quickly to the rest position.
In summary, a normal moor reflection provides for a quick and symmetrical response with a clear sequence of movements and a return to the rest of rest. Each deviation from this response can suspect deviations from normal and, therefore, be the spy of problems of neurosviluppo.
