Babinskireakció

The Babinski reflex, also known as the Babinski sign or plantar reflex, is a reflex in humans elicited by stimulating the sole of the foot. When the sole of the foot is stroked firmly from the heel to the ball, with a particular focus on the outer edge, the normal response in adults is for the toes to flex downward (plantarflexion). However, if the great toe extends upward (dorsiflexion) and the other toes fan out, this is considered a positive Babinski sign.

This reflex is a crucial indicator of the integrity of the corticospinal tract, a major motor pathway in the central nervous system. In infants up to approximately 12-24 months of age, a positive Babinski sign is considered normal because their corticospinal tracts are not yet fully myelinated. As myelination progresses, the reflex typically disappears and is replaced by the adult plantarflexion response.

A positive Babinski sign in an older child or adult is generally indicative of an upper motor neuron lesion. This could be due to conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, or brain tumors that affect the corticospinal tract. Therefore, the presence of this reflex in individuals who should have outgrown it is a significant finding that warrants further medical investigation to identify the underlying neurological cause. The reflex is named after the French neurologist Joseph Babinski, who first described it in 1896.