Reflexes

Question 1

What is a reflex?

Answer 1

An involuntary response to external/internal stimuli.

Question 2

What part of the Nervous system are reflexes mostly connected to?

Answer 2

Peripheral Nervous System(PNS)

Question 3

What are the four kinds of reflexes?

Answer 3

1) basis of development
2) motor response
3) processing site
4) complexity of circuit

Question 4

What are the two kinds of Basis of Development reflexes

Answer 4

Innate, and acquired

Question 5

What are Innate reflexes

Answer 5

Reflexes you are born with (genetically determined) withdraw from pain, blinking, e.g.

Question 6

What are Acquired reflexes?

Answer 6

learned responses. (due to trauma, experiences, etc.)

Question 7

What are the two kinds of motor responses?

Answer 7

Somatic and Visceral

Question 8

What parts of your body does a somatic reflex control?

Answer 8

Strictly the activities of the muscular system.

Question 9

What parts of your body does a visceral reflex control?

Answer 9

Smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands.

Question 10

What kind of reflex is Adrenaline? (Fight or Flight)

Answer 10

Visceral Reflex (Adrenal Gland)

Question 11

What are the two processing sites?

Answer 11

Spinal and Cranial

Question 12

What does the Spinal processing site control?

Answer 12

The actions of the muscular system.

Question 13

Where is the cranial processing site?

Answer 13

processed in the brain.

Question 14

What are the two complexities of a circuit?

Answer 14

Monosynaptic and Polysynaptic.

Question 15

What happens in a monosynaptic circuit?

Answer 15

A sensory neuron synapses directly with a motor neuron. This causes a delay between sensory input and motor output. e.g. pupil dilation.

Question 16

What happens in a polysynaptic circuit?

Answer 16

Involves sensor, inter, and motor neuron. This allows a motor neuron to control several different muscle groups. (typically a more complicated response)

Question 17

Explain the Four Steps of the Reflex Arc.

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

What can happen sometimes in the Reflex Arc because reflexes are automatic? What happens instead?

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

What is the grand purpose of reflexes?

Answer 19

Reflexes function to adapt to the rate of change our body lives at. This ultimately is to maintain homeostasis.