Reflex Action

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  • Reflex Action
    • Rapid involuntary (brain not involved) and protective (function) from the stimulus
      • e.g. withdrawal reflex, light reflex, stretch reflex, whisker reflex, triceps surae reflex, stepping reflex.
        • The reflex arc is related to nerve pathways and nerve impulses are passed to the brain/from the brain via ascending and descending tracts.
    • What is the difference between white and grey matter?
      • Grey matter contains the cell bodies/nuclei of the neurons whilst the white matter is mainly axons and made up of myelin.
    • With any reflex action there is also a pathway for impulses to be sent to the brain via ascending nerve fibers that originate in the synapse in the grey matter of the spinal cord.
      • The brain may stire this inforation or it may relate the information with sense data, say, he eyes.
        • As a result of recieving extra information, impulses may be sent form the brain to modify the rsponse.
          • Sometimes the response is over-ridden by the brain to modify the response.
            • Soetimes the response is over-ridden by the brain along inhibitory nerve fires.
    • Nerve nets in simple organsms
      • Simple organisms do not posses many recptors and effectors.
        • The sense reptors respond to a limited number of stimuli and the number of effectors is small.
          • An example of this is the hydra-coelenterates (jellyfish)
      • The hydra does not have a recognisable brain or true muscles.
        • It has a simple nervous system known as a nerve net.
          • Nerve nets connect sensory receptors and touch sensitive cells locatd in the body walls and tentacles.
            • The nerve nets consists of simple nerve cells with shirt extensions joined to each other and branching in a number of different directions
              • This means that the transmission of the nerve impulse is slow
      • Direction of impulse
        • Impulse can transmit in BOTH directions
      • Speed transmission = slow
      • Description = short and branched
      • Non - myelinated
    • Nerve nets in complex nervous system
      • Direction of impulse
        • Impulse is transmitted in ONE direction
      • Speed of trasmission
        • Fast
      • Description
        • Long and unbranched
      • Myelinated

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Alivia Erdman

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Reflex action is an automatic, immediate response to a stimulus. It is a type of involuntary, or automatic, response that occurs without conscious thought. It is an inborn response that occurs without prior training or experience. Examples of reflex action include blinking when an object is approaching the eye, the knee-jerk reaction when the patellar tendon is tapped, and withdrawing a hand from a hot object.

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