The nurse performs a reflex test on a newly admitted adult patient. The nurse runs a tongue blade along the sole of the foot and the patient responds with the great toe bending backward (upward) and the smaller toes fanning outward
The nurse suspects the patient may be suffering from what? (Select all that apply.) a. Injury to the CNS causing an abnormality in the motor control pathways leading from the cerebral cortex
b. A myocardial infarction that has caused hypoxemia
c. The influence of chemical substances
d. Damage to the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
e. Trauma to the hypothalamus
A, C
This response in the adult indicates a positive Babinski reflex, indicative of an abnormality in the motor control pathways leading from the cerebral cortex, or from the influence of chemical sub-stances. Hypoxemia, damage to the PNS, and trauma to the hypothalamus would not cause a positive Babinski reflex.
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