Reflexes Flashcards
What is a reflex?
An involuntary response to external/internal stimuli.
What part of the Nervous system are reflexes mostly connected to?
Peripheral Nervous System(PNS)
What are the four kinds of reflexes?
1) basis of development
2) motor response
3) processing site
4) complexity of circuit
What are the two kinds of Basis of Development reflexes
Innate, and acquired
What are Innate reflexes
Reflexes you are born with (genetically determined) withdraw from pain, blinking, e.g.
What are Acquired reflexes?
learned responses. (due to trauma, experiences, etc.)
What are the two kinds of motor responses?
Somatic and Visceral
What parts of your body does a somatic reflex control?
Strictly the activities of the muscular system.
What parts of your body does a visceral reflex control?
Smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands.
What kind of reflex is Adrenaline? (Fight or Flight)
Visceral Reflex (Adrenal Gland)
What are the two processing sites?
Spinal and Cranial
What does the Spinal processing site control?
The actions of the muscular system.
Where is the cranial processing site?
processed in the brain.
What are the two complexities of a circuit?
Monosynaptic and Polysynaptic.
What happens in a monosynaptic circuit?
A sensory neuron synapses directly with a motor neuron. This causes a delay between sensory input and motor output. e.g. pupil dilation.
What happens in a polysynaptic circuit?
Involves sensor, inter, and motor neuron. This allows a motor neuron to control several different muscle groups. (typically a more complicated response)
Explain the Four Steps of the Reflex Arc.
1.) Something is experienced. (Stimuli)
2.) This travels through a sensory pathway. Spinal cord to brain.
3.) Brain interprets, decides on said stimuli.
4.) Signal is sent to the the motor pathway and the action takes place.
What can happen sometimes in the Reflex Arc because reflexes are automatic? What happens instead?
The sensory input can bypass the brain. In this case the sensory pathway only goes through the spinal cord. The rest of the steps are carried out as previously stated.
What is the grand purpose of reflexes?
Reflexes function to adapt to the rate of change our body lives at. This ultimately is to maintain homeostasis.
