Reflex arcs Flashcards
Purpose of reflex arc?
Involuntary, protective action
Reflex arc?
RAPID, INVOLUNTARY response to a stimulus
Name for area containing alot of myelinated neurones
White matter (it is fatty bc of the wrapped phospholipid bilayers)
Area surrounding the unmyelinated relay neurones
Grey matter
Region where cell body on sensory neurones is found?
Dorsal root ganglion
Dorsal root?
Root of impulse along sensory neuron (top pathway)
Ventral root?
Root of impulse along motor neurone (bottom pathway)
Central canal?
Channel running through center of spinal cord, filled with cerebrospinal fluid
Somatic reflex?
When the effector is skeletal muscle
What is the coordinator in a reflex arc
Spinal cord
Integration centre?
The region in the CNS where sensory information is processed and combined to generate an appropriate motor response
Autonomic (visceral) reflexes
When the effector is smooth muscle, cardiac muscle or a gland
Polysynaptic reflex arc?
One or more relay neurones make up the integration center
Monosynaptic reflex?
Only one relay neurone is the integration center
White matter vs grey matter reasoning
White: mostly axons and myelin (fatty)
Grey: Densly packed with darkly stained cell bodies
