REFLEXES THE CODES OF NEUROLOGY

reflexesneurologytaskindumankapak21432

POSTURAL REFLEXES AND CONTROL OF MOVEMENT

Gülgün Uncu

Health Sciences University, Eskişehir City Health Application and Research Center, Department of Neurology, Eskişehir, Türkiye

uncu g. Postural Reflexes and Control of Movement. In: Duman T, editor. Reflexes The Codes of Neurology. 1st ed. Ankara: Türkiye Klinikleri; 2025. p.145-157.

ABSTRACT

Postural reflexes are vital for keeping balance, posture, and coordination when we’re dealing with gravity. These reflexes start to develop after we’re born and stick with us for life. They help us automatically control our posture and learn how to move around in space effectively. The shift from primitive reflexes to postural reflexes happens in the early years of life as the central nervous system matures and interacts with the environment. Postural reflexes can be divided into two main types: righting reactions, which help us respond to gravity and keep our bodies aligned correctly, and equilibrium reactions, which rely on information from our vestibular system, proprioception, and vision to help us stay stable. Righting reactions consist of oculo-head righting reflexes, labyrinth-head righting reflexes, and the Landau reflex. Equilibrium reactions, like the parachute reflex, come into play later and enable a wide variety of movements. Postural reflexes are managed by higher brain centers, such as the motor cortex, sensory cortex, and cerebellum. A lot of neurological diseases, like Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, stroke, dementia, cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebellar ataxia, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, vestibular disorders, and infections of the central nervous system, can make it hard to control your posture. It’s really important to understand how postural reflexes work and what happens when they don’t function properly in these conditions. This knowledge is key for diagnosing, managing, and creating effective rehabilitation plans.

Keywords: Posture; Postural reflex; Balance

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