Discover the Components and Types of Reflexes

Properties of Reflex Arc and Types of Reflexes

• The reflex arc is the basic unit of integrated reflex activity, which has five components: sense organ, afferent neuron, central integrating station, efferent neuron, and effector organ.
• The magnitude of activity in the reflex arc is proportional to the strength of the stimulus, and the response is graded in terms of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials.
• The reflex arc is modified by multiple inputs converging on the efferent neurons or any synaptic station within the arc.
• The reflex arc is stereotyped, meaning that a particular stimulus elicits a particular response.
• The final common pathway is the α-motor neurons that ultimately funnel all neural influences affecting muscular contraction to the muscles.
• The simplest reflex arc is the monosynaptic reflex, which has a single synapse between the afferent and efferent neurons.
• The stretch reflex, also known as the myotatic reflex, is a type of monosynaptic reflex that responds to muscle stretch, has a muscle spindle as the sense organ, and generates muscle contraction.
• The muscle spindle has three essential elements: intrafusal muscle fibers, specialized sensory endings, and large diameter myelinated afferent nerves.
• The Golgi tendon organ is a type of monosynaptic reflex that responds to muscle contraction, has a netlike collection of knobby nerve endings among the fascicles of a tendon as the sense organ, and generates muscle relaxation.
• The withdrawal reflex is a typical polysynaptic reflex that responds to a noxious stimulus to the skin or subcutaneous tissues and muscle, generates flexor muscle contraction and inhibition of extensor muscles, and serves a protective function.
• The crossed extensor response is a component of the withdrawal reflex that includes flexion and withdrawal of the stimulated limb and extension of the opposite limb.
• Strong stimuli can generate activity in the interneuron pool that spreads to all four extremities, causing prolonged flexion and sometimes a series of flexion movements, due to continued bombardment of motor neurons by impulses arriving by complicated and circuitous polysynaptic paths.

Test your knowledge on the properties of reflex arc and types of reflexes with this informative quiz! Discover the five components of the reflex arc, the different types of reflexes including the monosynaptic reflex, myotatic reflex, Golgi tendon reflex, withdrawal reflex, and crossed extensor response. Gain a better understanding of how the reflex arc works and how it responds to different stimuli. This quiz is perfect for anyone interested in anatomy, physiology, or neuroscience.