1.5 Reflexes Flashcards
What are reflexes?
instantaneous, automatic, and involuntary motor responses within the nervous system
Where do reflexes start from?
stimuli from inside and outside the body
What are subconscious reflexes?
reflexes that occur within the body
What is an example of a subconscious reflex?
regulation of blood sugar by hormone
What is the brainstem?
region that includes the midbrain, pons, and medulla
What is a reflex arc?
refers to the neutral pathway that a nerve impulse travels
How does sensory information travel into the spinal cord?
via the dorsal root of a nerve
How does motor information travel out of the spinal cord?
via the ventral root of a nerve
What is gray matter?
spinal cord that contains cell bodies of neurons and where Neurons synapse with other neurons
What is white matter?
spinal cord that contains axons of neurons
How is white matter and gray matter situated?
white matter surrounds the gray matter
Where are interneurons located?
in the CNS
What is the dorsal root ganglion?
contains the cell bodies of sensory neurons
What does the dorsal root contain?
axons of sensory neurons
Where do sensory neurons synapse?
on cells within the posterior horn of the spinal cord in the gray matter
Where are motor neurons cell bodies located?
anterior horn of gray matter
What does a spinal nerve contain?
both sensory and motor neurons from the ventral and dorsal roots
Why do spinal reflexes occur faster than any conscious decision?
involve fewer neurons and do not have to travel to the brain and back
Where do spinal reflexes travel?
to the spinal cord and back
What are some examples of spinal reflexes?
flexor reflex
stretch reflex
