Galant Reflex: The Postural Response to Stroking the Lumbar Flank

The Galant reflex (or Galant’s infantile reflex, named after the Russian neurologist Johann Susman Galant) is commonly observed in newborns and is said to fade between the ages of four and six months. It helps rule out brain damage at birth. Elicit Galant’s reflex by holding the newborn in a face down posture or laying them on their stomach and stroking along the one side of the spine. The normal reaction is for the baby to swing their lower body toward the stimulated side. This reaction involves the facilitation of the ipsilateral quadriceps, eventually helping the baby turn onto its back. The belief is that a persistent Galant response beyond six months of age is pathological. Functional use of this reflex, however, shows this belief to be unfortunate. The reflex should endure, physiologically integrating itself with the functional matrix that eventually enables upright posture. (READ MORE)