Release signs have been described in both age-associated diseases and in the healthy elderly. We investigated the palmomental, snout, grasp, corneomandibular and glabellar reflexes in demented and non-demented Parkinson-patients compared to Alzheimer's disease and age-matched controls. The palmomental reflex and a persisting glabellar reflex were linked to parkinsonism irrespective of dementia and were found also in Alzheimer's disease. A corneomandibular reflex was observed more frequently in demented than non-demented Parkinson-patients and in Alzheimer's disease. The snout-reflex was present in nearly all individuals irrespective of diagnosis. Thus, various release signs react quite differentially to degenerative brain disease and dementia.