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cremaster reflex

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 2:28 am
by fysiopysio
Does anyone know if an absent cremaster reflex is on of PN-symptoms?

Re: cremaster reflex

Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:21 am
by nyt
It shouldn't be because the cremaster is innervated by the genitofemoral nerve and not the pudendal nerve. The cremaster reflex is considered a superficial reflex such that if you lightly touch the medial aspect of the thigh it should cause the cremaster to contract and raise the testis on the side that was scratched. If the reflex is absent there could be several areas in the pathway that are damaged: 1) the sensory pathway from the skin is lost, 2) damage to the pathway from the sensory nerve to the spinal cord, 3) damage to the pathway that carries the nerve impulse from the spinal cord to the brain, 4) damage from the pathway that goes from the brain back down to the spinal cord, 5) damage from the pathway from the spinal cord to the cremaster muscle that tells the muscle to contract.