Primitive Reflexes and Their Role in Nervous System Development

Primitive reflexes (PRs) are foundational components of the human nervous system, and serve as essential building blocks for complex motor and cognitive functions. These automatic, involuntary movements are present at birth and were thought to integrate as the child matures, usually by the age of 8. Controlled by cranial nerves in the brainstem—a primitive part of the brain—these reflexes maintain a balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems to support motor movement, decision-making, and emotional regulation. When PRs remain reactive (retained) or reemerge later in life, they disrupt vagal nerve signals and leave the body in a heightened state of arousal, with higher levels of stress hormones along the HPA axis.

In both children and adults, trauma—emotional shock, head injury, car accident, congenital issues or neurodegenerative illness, pregnancy, night-shifts —can either block initial reflex integration or cause reactivation of previously dormant patterns. The result is often poor motor coordination, muscles spasticity, poor recovery, behavioral challenges, gut dysregulation and cognitive or orthopedic impairments. Because each primitive reflex underpins multiple higher-order patterns, a single retained reflex can generate complex dysfunction across multiple systems.

Fortunately, children retain a high degree of neuroplasticity. With timely support—such as physical and occupational therapy, as well as somatic interventions that address autonomic regulation—retained reflexes can be resolved. Early intervention reestablishes developmental momentum and restores postural organization, emotional resilience, and nervous system coherence.

Svetlana Masgutova’s work has brought needed attention to how primitive reflexes reemerge in adults, especially in response to trauma. The MNRI (Masgutova Neurosensorimotor Reflex Integration) method maps over 30 reflex patterns that reactivate after emotional shock or trauma, and the core techniques used—reflex patterning, tactile cues, and vestibular input—have long existed in pediatric occupational and physical therapy.  While effective in children, these methods, have poor results in adults, particularly those with chronic conditions. Adult bodies have a more rigid bony matrix, higher chondroitin levels in the tissue, and lower baseline plasticity. These techniques assume a level of neurological flexibility that is no longer present.  In adults, somatic and autonomic priming isn’t just helpful—it’s required. Despite the advances in our understanding of neuroplasticity, without restoring parasympathetic tone and soft tissue receptivity, reflex exercises, PT and vestibular work eventually plateau.

Thankfully, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers tools that regulate somatic, vascular, and autonomic function across the lifespan. The sinew channels (jing jin 筋經), often overshadowed by the zang-fu organ approach, were originally mapped as musculoskeletal and neurovascular pathways. These channels correspond directly to modern myofascial planes and autonomic binding sites, making them especially relevant in conditions involving retained primitive reflexes, spasticity, and vagal dysregulation.

What sets the sinew channels (jing jin 筋經) apart is their capacity to interface with systems that co-develop in early life: fascia, the enteric nervous system, vestibular tone, reflex arcs, and autonomic regulation. This overlap positions the sinew channels as a uniquely suited framework for restoring parasympathetic tone across multiple systems to support neuroplastic change at any life stage.

The effects are not abstract—they are objectively visible (photographed) and physically measurable through standard orthopedic tests. This immediate, objective response eliminates the need for faith-based belief systems, repetition-based models, or vague language about Qi. It grounds the work in observable, physical change.

Avoiding the distractions of fragmented Western diagnoses across modalities, TCM practitioners can focus on shared symptomatology through pattern differentiation.  Three main dysregulation patterns have emerged with consistency—not as a theory, but as something we can measure objectively.  These patterns guided my recovery, clarified the sinew-reflex pathology I saw in practice, and became the therapeutic sinew map I use daily. Modern neuroscience, PVT, and somatic therapies provided the trauma mechanisms for mental health, neurology, and myofascial theory. Pediatric and vestibular OT clarified the developmental benchmarks for nervous system layering and sensory recovery.

Down the Polyvagal Rabbit Hole: Integrative Neurology: Autonomic Dysregulation for TCM (1)

Down the Polyvagal Rabbit Hole: Introduction: Understanding Autonomic Dysregulation (4) - Yin (Dorsal) Vagus and Mixed Patterns

Freeze-Related Reflexes & Emotions (Dorsal shutdown patterns).
Fight/Flight Reflexes & Emotions (Sympathetic activation).
Hinge States (Emotions that can shift between systems).
Regulated States (Ventral vagal, high-frequency states).

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Reflex & Sinew Channel Correlations (Preliminary Mapping)

Reflex	Emotional Tie	Primary Sinew Channels	Why This Mapping?
Moro Reflex (Startle Reflex)	Fear, Dread, Insecurity	Lung, Stomach, Bladder Spiral Line TM	Lung (breath suppression), Stomach (core tension in dorsal freeze), Bladder (full-body startle pattern)
Fear Paralysis Reflex (FF Reflex)	Apathy, Shutdown, Freeze	Jue Yin Line (Liver/Pericardium), Ren/Du, Stomach Sinew (DFL, SFL)	Jue Yin level of deep spinal rotators (loss of central axis deep internal rotators), Ren/Du Stomach (immobilization in anterior chain)
TLR (Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex)	Shame, Postural Collapse	Bladder (postural rigidity), Stomach (breath inhibition), Lung (upper body contraction) with Dai along the spinal ganglia DBL, SBL	Bladder (spinal extension/flexion control), Stomach/Lung (dorsal breath collapse)
STNR (Symmetric Tonic Neck Reflex)	Cognitive Rigidity, Frustration	Bladder (spinal segmentation), Arm Tai Yang (upper body bracing) Yang/Yin Qiao	Bladder (spinal coordination), Arm Tai Yang (shoulder girdle compensation)
ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex)	Judgment, Cognitive Rigidity, Contempt	Dai Mai (Belt Vessel), Gallbladder (lateral tension patterns) Yang/Yin Wei	Dai Mai (torsional instability), Gallbladder (contralateral rotation control)
Palmar Grasp Reflex	Resentment, Holding On	Pericardium, Heart, Large Intestine TM	Pericardium (protective bracing), Heart (emotional attachment), LI (letting go vs. gripping tension)
Spinal Galant Reflex	Anger, Disgust, Boundary Defense	Bladder, Gallbladder, Dai Mai Spiral Line	Bladder (spinal sensitivity), Gallbladder (side-body tension, defensiveness), Dai Mai (stabilizing lateral response)
Rooting Reflex	Longing, Jealousy, Emotional Hunger	Ren, Stomach, Spleen	Ren (attachment & nurturing), Stomach (seeking behavior), Spleen (internalized need for support), ST Luo

 

To date, few treatments have effectively restored parasympathetic tone in neurogenic conditions where neuroplasticity is essential, such as Parkinson’s, MS, TBI or PTSD. A neuro-informed approach to TCM reframes de qi not as an abstract sensation, but as a physiological indicator of improved vascular patency, oxygenation, and vagal tone within the sinew channels. This makes autonomic shifts observable in real time, allowing sinew channel work to be tracked with clinical precision. 

By integrating standard orthopedic testing and physical therapy benchmarks, we move beyond vague diagnostic terms like “liver qi stagnation” and create a shared language for interdisciplinary collaboration. This approach addresses the downstream effects of reactivated primitive reflexes while offering tangible methods to assess and enhance autonomic function. It supports neuroplastic repair and provides practical entry points for chronic neurogenic conditions and trauma-related dysregulation.

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