Galant's reflex

Medri Vodcast: Neonatology

Hold the baby horizontally and prone in one of your hands. Stimulate one side of the baby’s back approximately 1 cm from the midline along a paravertebral line extending from shoulder to the buttocks. This produces a curving of the trunk toward the stimulated side, with shoulders and pelvis moving in that direction. Pelvic response to stimulation of the back and flanks should be symmetrical. This reflex is absent in transverse spinal cord lesions or injuries.