Akademik

Moro reflex 'mȯr-ō- n a reflex reaction of infants upon being startled (as by a loud noise or a bright light) that is characterized by extension of the arms and legs away from the body and to the side and then by drawing them together as if in an embrace

Moro Ernst (1874-1951)

German pediatrician. Moro is remembered for his isolation of a bacterium of the genus Lactobacillus (L. acidophilus) in 1900 and for his introduction of a percutaneous tuberculin reaction as a diagnostic test in 1908. The characteristic reflex reaction of young infants to a sudden startling stimulus is named in his honor.

a primitive reflex seen in newborn babies in response to the stimulus of a sudden noise or movement: the baby will fling its arms and legs wide and will appear to stiffen; the arms and legs are then drawn back into flexion. The Moro reflex should disappear spontaneously by four months. Its presence beyond this age is suggestive of an underlying neurological disorder, such as cerebral palsy.