A 60-year-old woman receiving cisplatin therapy develops paresthesias. What motor sign is most likely to result from damage to her dorsal root ganglion cells?

Cisplatin is a chemotherapy agent known to cause peripheral neuropathy, which can affect both sensory and motor functions. The dorsal root ganglia contain the cell bodies of sensory neurons that transmit sensory information, including pain and temperature. Damage to these ganglion cells can lead to sensory deficits and may also have downstream effects on motor pathways.

In this scenario, the likely motor sign that could result from damage to the dorsal root ganglion cells is hyporeflexia. This occurs because the sensory input that mediates the reflex arc is compromised. The reflex arc relies on both sensory neurons to detect stimulation and motor neurons to elicit a response. When dorsal root ganglion cells are damaged, the sensory input is diminished or lost, reducing the effectiveness of reflexive responses and resulting in hyporeflexia.

Other motor signs, such as the Babinski sign or clonus, are typically associated with upper motor neuron lesions rather than damage to the sensory pathways. Fibrillations are indicative of lower motor neuron lesions and would not be a direct consequence of dorsal root ganglion cell damage. Thus, the most appropriate outcome of this context is the presence of hyporeflexia resulting from impaired sensory transmission due to the damage caused by cisplatin therapy.