Which description corresponds to decorticate posturing?

Which description corresponds to decorticate posturing?

• A. Closed hands, arms are adducted and flexed against the chest, legs are internally rotated, feet are turned inward
• B. Head and neck are arched, arms are straight and extended, hands are curled, legs are straight, and toes are pointed downward
• C. Arms are extended and the shoulders are externally rotated with feet plantarflexed
• D. Arms are abducted and the wrists are flexed with elbows extended

Answer: (A)

Decorticate posturing is a flexor pattern that signals injury above the brainstem, with the upper limbs pulled in toward the body and the lower limbs extended. The description matches this: the arms are flexed at the elbows, adducted against the chest, and the hands are curled or closed, while the legs are extended with internal rotation and the feet turning inward. This combination—flexed, adducted upper limbs and extended, internally rotated lower limbs—is the hallmark of decorticate posturing. In contrast, other postures reflect different brain injuries. One pattern shows arms extended with shoulders externally rotated and the feet plantarflexed, which aligns more with decerebrate posturing and brainstem involvement. The remaining descriptions describe movements or positions that do not combine the characteristic upper-limb flexion with adduction seen in decorticate posturing.

Decorticate posturing is a flexor pattern that signals injury above the brainstem, with the upper limbs pulled in toward the body and the lower limbs extended. The description matches this: the arms are flexed at the elbows, adducted against the chest, and the hands are curled or closed, while the legs are extended with internal rotation and the feet turning inward. This combination—flexed, adducted upper limbs and extended, internally rotated lower limbs—is the hallmark of decorticate posturing.

In contrast, other postures reflect different brain injuries. One pattern shows arms extended with shoulders externally rotated and the feet plantarflexed, which aligns more with decerebrate posturing and brainstem involvement. The remaining descriptions describe movements or positions that do not combine the characteristic upper-limb flexion with adduction seen in decorticate posturing.