Healthcare and Reflex Pathways Essay

Reflex pathways

Introduction

Reflexes or reflex pathways are always most easily observed as well as analyzed specifically when the spinal cord directly receives a synchronous volley, particularly of afferent input. Due to such an occurrence, the afferent volley often has been provoked specifically by electrical stimulation associated with nerves, rather than particularly by the natural stimulation associated with peripheral receptors (Goldberger, 2019). The result in most cases is always that several reflex stimuli, especially in various animal experiments, become described specifically in terms of the specific intensity of the electrical stimulation associated with the nerve, rather than particularly in terms of which the sensory receptors have majorly been activated.

Fortunately, in the muscle nerves, there always exists a fairly close specific relationship between the particular electrical stimulation threshold associated with fiber together with the sensory receptor that it innervates (Horn, 2019). This paper aims to explore the reflex pathways by focusing specifically on the patellar tendon reflex pathway, how the intensity of the reflex pathway response becomes affected and sharing of the reflex pathway of any other reflex of choice.

This week you will learn about reflex pathways. One classic example is the patellar tendon reflex. Please, describe the pathway of this reflex.

When the patellar tendon becomes tapped just directly below the knee, the particular tap often initiates an action that is potential in a specific specialized structure that is referred to as a muscle spindle, that is located specifically within the quadriceps. Such an action potential often travels directly to the L3 together with L4 nerve roots associated with the spinal cord through a sensory axon that often chemically communicates specifically by releasing glutamate directly onto the motor nerve (Goldberger, 2019). The result, specifically of such a motor nerve associated activity involves the contraction of the specific quadriceps muscle, which often leads to the extension of the particular lower leg specifically at the knee. In such a situation, the lower leg often kicks forward. Ultimately, an improper related patellar reflex may mainly indicate a central nervous system (CNS) injury.

The sensory input specifically from the quadriceps usually activates local interneurons which release the inhibitory associated neurotransmitter glycine onto the motor neurons associated with the antagonist's muscles, specifically blocking the particular sustained stimulation of such antagonistic (hamstring) muscles (Marieb, 2018). The relaxation associated with the opposing muscle often facilitates mostly by not specifically…

Some parts of this document are missing

Click here to view full document

…always is known as a reflex arc. In the higher animals, several sensory neurons never pass directly or specifically into the brain, but basically, synapse particularly in the spinal cord.

Such a characteristic often allows reflex actions immediately to occur quite relatively quickly through the activation of the spinal motor neurons particularly without delay associated with routing signals specifically through the brain, although the specific brain will eventually receive sensory input while the particular reflex action occurs. Most reflex arcs often involve only three major neurons. The stimulus, like a needle stick, which stimulates the specific pain receptors associated with the skin, often initiate an impulse specifically in sensory neurons.

The impulse travels to the specific spinal cord where it directly passes through the means of synapses, specifically to the connecting neuron known as the relay neuron that is often situated in the spinal cord. The particular relay neuron in response or turn often makes a synapse specifically with one or sometimes more motor neurons which usually transmit the impulse directly to the muscles associated with the limb causing them particularly to contract or pull away specifically from the particular sharp object. Reflexes never require involvement or engagement of…