What reflex is elicited by lightly stroking the superior and medial part of the thigh in males?

The reflex elicited by lightly stroking the superior and medial part of the thigh in males is known as the Cremasteric Reflex. This reflex involves the contraction of the cremaster muscle, which raises the testis closer to the body, primarily in response to cold temperatures or light touch. In males, the sensory pathway is carried by the ilioinguinal nerve, and the motor response is mediated by the genital branch of the genitofemoral nerve.

This reflex is significant in assessing the integrity of the lumbar and sacral segments of the spinal cord, particularly L1 and L2. During a physical examination, when the inner thigh is stroked, the cremaster muscle responds reflexively, indicating a functioning neural pathway.

The other reflexes listed—like the Patellar Reflex, which tests the knee-jerk mechanism, the Achilles Reflex, which assesses the ankle jerk, and the Babinski Reflex, which tests the upper motor neuron function in infants and pathologically in adults—do not apply to this specific stimulus and location of testing. Each of these reflexes involves different nerve pathways and muscle responses not related to the cremaster muscle and its action on the testes.