Reflexes Flashcards
List the components of a reflex arc
- Stimulus
- Receptors
- Sensory neurone
- Integration centres
- Motor neurone
- Effector
What does the sensory neurone do in the reflex arc
It transmits afferent information into the CNS
What does the motor neurone do
It conducts efferent imputes to the effector organ
What can an effector organ be
Muscle/gland
What are Cervical & lumbar enlargements
They are enlargements in overstrain areas particularly in the ventral horn
What are Cervical & lumbar enlargements due to
Expansion of grey matter in the ventral horns to accommodate the large groups of motor neurones supplying the muscles of the fore and hind limbs
What do cervical enlargements supply
Supplies arms
What do lumbar enlargements supply
Supplies legs
What can the spinal cord be split into
Grey and white matter
Where is grey matter found
- Dorsal horn
- Ventral horn
- Lateral horn
What does the dorsal horn contain
Sensory relay neurones
What does the ventral horn contain
Motor neurones
Where is white matter found
- Dorsal column
- Lateral column
- Ventral column
What does the dorsal column do
It has ascending axons that carry somatosensory information from dorsal horn to brain stem
What does the lateral column do
It has ascending and descending axons that innervate interneurones and motor neurones
What dos the ventral column do
It has ascending axons that convey information about pain and thermal sensation
It also has a deceasing pathway which controls muscles and posture
Name the 3 different types of reflex pathways
- Monosynaptic reflex
- Disynaptic reflex
- Polysynaptic reflex
What is a monosynaptic reflex
The sensory neurones axon making a direct synaptic connection with the motor neurone
What is a Disynaptic reflex
A single interneurone receives the sensory output and makes a synaptic connection with the motor neurone
What is a Polysynaptic reflex
A reflex pathway involving a chain of 2 or more interneurones between the sensory neurone and the motor neurone
Name the 2 types of motor neurones
Alpha
Gamma
What do alpha motor neurones innervate
Innervate extrafusal fibres
What do alpha neurones do
They are the main force generating efferent fibres to muscle body
What do gamma motor neurones innervate
Innervate intrafusal fibres
Describe a motor reflex
A rapid stereotypes repose to a particular sensory stimulus
What is a stretch reflex sometimes called
myotatic reflex
What are myotatic reflexes specific for
Muscles being stretched/ lengthened
What types of reflex is a myotatic reflex?
Monosynaptic reflex
What happens when a muscle is stretched
The muscle spindle is stretched and its nerve activity increases
Talk through a myotatic reflex
- Nerve impulse immediately sent to the spinal cord
- Response to contract the muscle is received
- Contraction increases muscle tension
Describe muscle spindles
They are bundles of modified skeltal muscle fibres enclosed in connective tissue capsule
Where are muscle spindles found
Skeletal muscles
When is the muscle spindle activated
When a muscle is stretched passively