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Vincenzo Neri (1880–1960) and his sign to detect leg weakness due to corticospinal tract injury

  • History of Neurology
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Abstract

The Italian neurologist Vincenzo Neri (1880–1960), a pupil of Joseph Babiński (1857–1932), greatly contributed to refining the semiotics of neurological examination and was a pioneer in medical cinematography. In 1909, Neri proposed a sign to diagnose leg paresis due to a pyramidal tract lesion. According to Neri, if a patient standing with the legs apart and the arms crossed on the chest bends the trunk of the pelvis, when the trunk has almost reached the horizontal line, the leg on the paralyzed side flexes, whereas the unaffected leg remains extended. This sign reflects a spinal hyperfunctioning emerging after a pyramidal lesion, and should be interpreted as a part of a triple flexion reflex. Beyond the acute stage, it could reflect an unusual pattern of flexor spasticity involving the lower limb due to corticospinal tract injury. The sign described by Neri retains its validity in identifying this organic leg weakness due to pyramidal lesions, particularly when it is mild or in its early stages.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Hospital of Merano (SABES-ASDAA), Via Rossini, 5 – 39012, Merano-Meran, Italy

    Francesco Brigo

  2. Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Città Della Salute E Della Scienza University Hospital, Turin, Italy

    Paolo Benna

  3. Department of History and Preservation of Cultural Heritage, University of Udine, Udine, Italy

    Simone Venturini

  4. Department of Health Sciences, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

    Mariano Martini

  5. UOC Neurology and Stroke Unit, ASST Lecco, Merate, Italy

    Lorenzo Lorusso

Authors
  1. Francesco Brigo
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  2. Paolo Benna
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  3. Simone Venturini
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  4. Mariano Martini
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  5. Lorenzo Lorusso
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the Study Group on the History of Neurology of the Italian Neurological Society

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Correspondence to Francesco Brigo.

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Supplementary information

Text with the original description of the sign described by Vincenzo Neri and published in Nouvelle Iconographie de la Salpétrière. 1910;88–89 (in French).

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Supplementary file1 (DOCX 16 KB)

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Brigo, F., Benna, P., Venturini, S. et al. Vincenzo Neri (1880–1960) and his sign to detect leg weakness due to corticospinal tract injury. Neurol Sci 43, 5153–5156 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-022-06115-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-022-06115-7

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