| |
Babinski phenomenon
(bә-binīske)
Babinski reflex
(bә-binīske)
a reflex action of the toes, normal during infancy but abnormal after 12 to 18 months of age; after locomotion begins, it
is indicative of abnormalities in the motor control pathways leading from the cerebral cortex and is widely used as a diagnostic
aid in disorders of the central nervous system. It is elicited by a firm stimulus (usually scraping) on the sole of the foot,
which results in dorsiflexion of the great toe and fanning of the smaller toes. Normally such a stimulus causes all the toes
to bend downward.
Copyright 2007. An Elsevier publication. All rights reserved.
Click here for important legal information about Dorland's Medical Dictionary.
|
