The grasp reflex, also known as the palmar reflex, is a primitive, prehensile, involuntary response to a mechanical stimulus present in a newborn. As the name implies, the action resembles a grasping motion of the hand. This reflex appears around 16 weeks of gestation and can be elicited in preterm infants as young as 25 weeks of postconceptional age (see Image. Palmar Reflex).[1][2][3][4] To elicit the reflex, the infant is laid in a symmetrical supine and comfortable position while he o...
