Q: What are the essential components of Decorticate and Decerebrate posturing

Answer:

Decorticate posturing:

• Elbows, wrists and fingers flexed
• Legs extended but rorated inwards

Decorticate posturing indicates damage to areas in cerebral hemispheres, the internal capsule, and the thalamus.

Decerebrate posturing:

• the head is arched back,
• the arms are extended by the sides (elbows extended),
• the legs are extended.

Decerebrate posturing indicates brain stem damage, specifically with lesions or compression in the midbrain and lesions in the cerebellum.

Progression from decorticate posturing to decerebrate posturing is often indicative of brain herniation.