reflexes Flashcards
describe reflexes
- require a stimulus
- involuntary
- rapid
- stereotyped = same neutral pathway
what are the 2 reflexes?
- cranial
- spinal
describe cranial reflexes
- involve brain stem > medulla
- reflexes of face and neck
- vomiting, sneezing, swallowing, blinking
describe spinal reflexes
- involves spinal cord
- reflexes of the body
- pain reflex, knee jerk
how are reflexes developed
innate
- basic neutral reflexes formed before birth
- genetically programmed
acquired
- rapid, automatic learned motor patterns
- repetition enhances them
what is the first step of a reflex arc
receptor reacts to a change in environment by initiating a nerve impulse in the sensory neuron
what is the second step of a reflex arc
a sensory neuron carries impulses from the receptor to the spinal cord or brain
what is the third step of a reflex arc
there is at least one synapse, the nerve impulse may be passed directly to a motor neuron, or there may be one or more interneurons that direct the impulse to the correct motor neuron
what is the fourth step of a reflex arc
a motor neuron carries the nerve impulse to an effector
what is the fifth step of a reflex arc
an effector receives the nerve impulse and carries out the appropriate response