The Moro reflex is one of the first neurological assessments performed on a newborn — and what it reveals is remarkable. When a newborn experiences a sudden loss of support or startling stimulus, the brainstem triggers a rapid sequence: arms extend outward, fingers splay, then the arms retract inward as if embracing. It's involuntary, bilateral, and present from birth until approximately 3 to 6 months of age. Clinically it serves as a direct window into brainstem integrity and peripheral nervous