The grasp reflex: A symptom in need of treatment

Mestre, Tiago; Lang, Anthony E.

doi:10.1002/mds.23059

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 52 publications

(62 reference statements)

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“…Presumably, these reflexes disappear because of development of the brain and descending systems. Grasp reflexes emerge in adults with structural brain (Walshe and Hunt, 1936) and neurodegenerative diseases and their pathological reemergence can be quite disabling for both hand (Mestre and Lang, 2010) and foot function (Paulson and Gottlieb, 1968). In addition, the opposite effect – loss of normal control of hand grasp such as seen after spinal cord injury – is significantly disabling (Anderson, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circuits for Grasping: Spinal dI3 Interneurons Mediate Cutaneous Control of Motor Behavior

Bui

Akay

Loubani

et al. 2013

Neuron

118

143

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SUMMARY Accurate motor performance depends on the integration in spinal microcircuits of sensory feedback information. Hand grasp is a skilled motor behavior known to require cutaneous sensory feedback, but spinal microcircuits that process and relay this feedback to the motor system have not been defined. We sought to define classes of spinal interneurons involved in the cutaneous control of hand grasp in mice, and show that dI3 interneurons, a class of dorsal spinal interneurons marked by expression of Isl1, convey input from low threshold cutaneous afferents to motoneurons. Mice in which the output of dI3 interneurons has been inactivated exhibit deficits in motor tasks that rely on cutaneous afferent input. Most strikingly, the ability to maintain grip strength in response to increasing load is lost following genetic silencing of dI3 interneuron output. Thus, spinal microcircuits that integrate cutaneous feedback crucial for paw grip rely on the intermediary role of dI3 interneurons.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circuits for Grasping: Spinal dI3 Interneurons Mediate Cutaneous Control of Motor Behavior

Bui

Akay

Loubani

et al. 2013

Neuron

118

143

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“…Grasp reflex is a frontal release sign and represents a rather rare catatonia sign, but often occurs in neurodegenerative disorders [40,41]. In their large heterogeneous catatonia sample, Wilson et al 2015 [42] reported a grasp reflex in only 14 % of the patients with confirmed catatonia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first to suggest the grasp reflex as a predictor of late response to ECT in the treatment of catatonia. Grasp reflex is a frontal release sign and represents a rather rare catatonia sign, but often occurs in neurodegenerative disorders 40 41 . In their large heterogeneous catatonia sample, Wilson et al 2015 42 reported a grasp reflex in only 14% of the patients with confirmed catatonia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Specific Catatonia Symptoms and Predictors of Late Response

Bracht,

Walther,

Breit

et al. 2023

Pharmacopsychiatry

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Introduction Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is known to be effective in the treatment of catatonia, reaching response rates of about 80 to 100%. It is indicated in cases of treatment resistance to benzodiazepines and in life-threatening conditions such as malignant catatonia. Beneficial effects on specific symptoms or predictors of response are less clear. The objective of this retrospective study is to examine the ECT effect on specific catatonia symptoms in the acute phase of the illness and to identify predictors of response. Methods A retrospective study examined data from 20 patients with catatonia, 18 associated with schizophrenia and 2 with bipolar disorder, who underwent ECT from 2008 to 2021. Ten subjects had more than one ECT-series, resulting in a total of 31 ECT-series. Catatonia symptom severity was assessed with the Bush Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS). Results ECT yielded excellent response. Nineteen of 20 patients and 30 of 31 ECT-series achieved response. The mean number of ECT sessions to response was 4.2. Response to ECT was more pronounced for motor inhibition symptoms such as stupor and mutism, while echophenomena, dyskinesia, stereotypy and perseveration responded less well. A predictor of late response was the presence of grasp reflex. Discussion The present study corroborates the high and rapid effectiveness of ECT in the treatment of catatonia. Focus on single catatonia signs may help to identify those who are most likely to achieve remission quickly, as well as those who might need longer ECT-series.

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“…For instance, dI3 INs mediate a palmar grasp reflex at early postnatal stages (Bui et al 2013) that resembles a postnatal grasp reflex in humans. This reflex disappears in time (Mestre and Lang 2010), in parallel with the maturation of descending pathways to the spinal cord (Clarac et al 2004). In addition, abnormal grasp reflexes in human patients have often been associated with frontal cerebral lesions (Mestre and Lang 2010), perhaps due to loss of supraspinal regulation of dI3 INs or of an analogous population in humans.…”

Section: Connecting Spinal Circuits With Supraspinal Circuits For Sensorimotor Integration Of Tactile Informationmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…This reflex disappears in time (Mestre and Lang 2010), in parallel with the maturation of descending pathways to the spinal cord (Clarac et al 2004). In addition, abnormal grasp reflexes in human patients have often been associated with frontal cerebral lesions (Mestre and Lang 2010), perhaps due to loss of supraspinal regulation of dI3 INs or of an analogous population in humans. Supraspinal regions may also be targeted by dI3 INs, as revealed by their innervation of the lateral reticular nucleus, a precerebellar nuclei (Pivetta et al 2014).…”

Section: Connecting Spinal Circuits With Supraspinal Circuits For Sensorimotor Integration Of Tactile Informationmentioning

confidence: 94%

Genetically identified spinal interneurons integrating tactile afferents for motor control

Bui

Stifani

Panek

et al. 2015

Journal of Neurophysiology

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Our movements are shaped by our perception of the world as communicated by our senses. Perception of sensory information has been largely attributed to cortical activity. However, a prior level of sensory processing occurs in the spinal cord. Indeed, sensory inputs directly project to many spinal circuits, some of which communicate with motor circuits within the spinal cord. Therefore, the processing of sensory information for the purpose of ensuring proper movements is distributed between spinal and supraspinal circuits. The mechanisms underlying the integration of sensory information for motor control at the level of the spinal cord have yet to be fully described. Recent research has led to the characterization of spinal neuron populations that share common molecular identities. Identification of molecular markers that define specific populations of spinal neurons is a prerequisite to the application of genetic techniques devised to both delineate the function of these spinal neurons and their connectivity. This strategy has been used in the study of spinal neurons that receive tactile inputs from sensory neurons innervating the skin. As a result, the circuits that include these spinal neurons have been revealed to play important roles in specific aspects of motor function. We describe these genetically identified spinal neurons that integrate tactile information and the contribution of these studies to our understanding of how tactile information shapes motor output. Furthermore, we describe future opportunities that these circuits present for shedding light on the neural mechanisms of tactile processing.

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The grasp reflex: A symptom in need of treatment

Cited by 10 publications

References 52 publications

Circuits for Grasping: Spinal dI3 Interneurons Mediate Cutaneous Control of Motor Behavior

Circuits for Grasping: Spinal dI3 Interneurons Mediate Cutaneous Control of Motor Behavior

The Effect of Electroconvulsive Therapy on Specific Catatonia Symptoms and Predictors of Late Response

Genetically identified spinal interneurons integrating tactile afferents for motor control

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