Reflexes Flashcards
what are the three types of movement
involuntary actions
semi automatic actions
voluntary actions
what is involved in involuntary actions
these are reflexes that are centred in the spinal cord and brain stem that have no conscious element
what is the reflex action centred on
spinal cord for the spinal nerves and cranial nerves are in the brainstem
what type of pathway is involved in reflexes
monosynaptic circuit
what is the speed of reflexes
they are rapid, and have short latency
what is latency
the time between the stimulus and the response
what is the common final pathway of a reflex
motor neurons
where are somatic motor neuron bodies found
the spinal cord
where are cranial nerve cell bodies found
brainstem
what activates motor neurons in a reflex
various brain regions and various peripheral receptors
what is stimulated in the knee jerk response
group 1a muscle fibres that link the dorsal and ventral roots at spinal level
what initiates the reflex response
activation of mechanoreceptors that are muscle spindles in the belly of the muscle that respond to the stretch of the muscle itself
what is the muscle afferent in reflexes
1a
are mechanoreceptors in the muscle always active
yes - there is always a steady rate of activity from mechanoreceptors to give an indication of the tone of the muscle itself. when they are stretched further than what is normal, there is generation of action potential
what spinal afferents alwyas active when muscle is contracting
no
describe the knee jerk reflex
- mechanical stimulus applied to the patella tendon in the knee
- tendon pulls on the quadriceps to activate muscle spindles
- generation of action potential that is conducted along the a alpha axon
- into the ventral horn of the spinal cord
- synaptic transmission between the central terminals and the motor neurons they are innervating
- action potential conducted along motor axon as it exist via the ventral roots
why are reflex actions so short
the 1a alpha axon is large and has strongly myelination.
only involves one synapse
list the components of the stretch reflex pathway in order
- stimulus
- receptor activation
- stimulus transduction
- action potential conduction along sensory axon
- synaptic transmission
- motor neuron recruitment, action potential conduction along motor axon
- synaptic transmission for effector recruitment
- response
what is the muscle efferent axon in reflexes
a alpha, same as the sensory afferent