Neuro cue. A gesture, body movement, or posture used clinically to diagnose a psychiatric or movement disorder.
Usage: Soft signs include, e.g., apraxia cues, eye-blink rates, and startle reflex signs. Two generic types of soft sign have been identified: a. those involving motor systems suggestive of early-life brain disturbances, and b. those involving less localized systems suggestive of adult neural dysfunctions and behavioral disturbances (Woods 1992). "Both . . . appear to be clinically useful in [the psychiatric] patient population" (Woods 1992:446).
Copyright 1999 (David B. Givens/Center for Nonverbal Studies)