Reflexes are automatic body movements that are not under a person's control. Some reflexes last throughout life, such as the physical response to being startled, while others go away as the nervous system matures, such as the rooting reflex of newborns that helps them latch on to the breast or bottle for feeding.
Reflexes can be affected by injury, disease, and some medications.
| Author: | Debby Golonka, MPH |
| Medical Review: | Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics Louis Pellegrino, MD - Developmental Pediatrics |
| Last Updated: April 6, 2007 | |
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