What is the pathway of the reflex arc?
A reflex arc defines the pathway by which a reflex travels—from the stimulus to sensory neuron to motor neuron to reflex muscle movement.
What is the neural pathway for a reflex called?
the reflex arc
The anatomical pathway of a reflex is called the reflex arc. It consists of an afferent (or sensory) nerve, usually one or more interneurons within the central nervous system, and an efferent (motor, secretory, or secreto-motor) nerve.
What are the 5 steps of the reflex arc?
So the reflex arc consists of these five steps in order-sensor, sensory neuron, control center, motor neuron, and muscle. These five parts work as a relay team to take information up from the sensor to the spinal cord or brain and back down to the muscles.
What happens in patellar reflex?
knee-jerk reflex, also called patellar reflex, sudden kicking movement of the lower leg in response to a sharp tap on the patellar tendon, which lies just below the kneecap.
What nerve Innervates the patellar reflex?
The patellar reflex is a deep tendon reflex, mediated by the spinal nerves from the levels L2, L3, and L4 in the spinal cord, predominantly in the root L4.
What happens in the patellar reflex?
knee-jerk reflex, also called patellar reflex, sudden kicking movement of the lower leg in response to a sharp tap on the patellar tendon, which lies just below the kneecap. In reaction these muscles contract, and the contraction tends to straighten the leg in a kicking motion.
How does the reflex arc work?
Reflex arcs Receptor in the skin detects a stimulus (the change in temperature). Sensory neuron sends electrical impulses to a relay neuron, which is located in the spinal cord of the CNS. Motor neuron sends electrical impulses to an effector. Effector produces a response (muscle contracts to move hand away).
Why does the reflex arc occur in the patellar?
It all happens because of the reflex arc from stimulus to response. A reflex arc is a neural pathway which mediates a reflex action. In a patellar reflex, nerve root is the carrier of an impulse by the motor neuron along its axon.
How does the nerve root affect the patellar reflex?
In a patellar reflex, nerve root is the carrier of an impulse by the motor neuron along its axon. This reflex is a somatic reflex arc, which affects the muscles. It is a stretch reflex when a muscle or tendon is struck or hit.
Can a doctor test the patellar and Achilles reflexes?
To determine this, doctors may also test stretch reflexes in the triceps muscle and the Achilles tendon (ankle-jerk reflex) and compare results. The Achilles reflex is a monosynaptic stretch reflex similar to the patellar reflex.
Which is an example of the monosynaptic reflex arc?
The patellar reflex is a clinical and classic example of the monosynaptic reflex arc. There is no interneuron in the pathway leading to contraction of the quadriceps muscle. Instead, the bipolar sensory neuron synapses directly on a motor neuron in the spinal cord.