reflex
reflex
A simple automatic inborn response to a sensory stimulus is called a reflex. Reflexes are involuntary and often occur without conscious thought, serving as a protective mechanism for the body. They involve a direct pathway known as a reflex arc, which includes sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons. Examples include the knee-jerk reaction or withdrawal from a painful stimulus.
A simple association between a stimulus and a response is called classical conditioning. This process involves learning to associate a neutral stimulus with a biologically potent one, which results in the neutral stimulus producing the same response.
n biology, an automatic and inborn response to a stimulus that involves a nerve impulse passing from a sensory nerve cell to a muscle or gland without reaching the level of consciousness. Simple reflexes include sucking, swallowing, blinking, scratching, and the knee jerk. Most reflexes consist of complex patterns of many unconsciously coordinated muscular actions that form the basis of much instinctive behavior in animals. Examples include walking, standing, the cat's righting reflex, and basic sexual acts.
Adaptation of nerve cells in simple sensory receptors can be seen in how they respond differently to constant stimuli over time. For example, in a pressure receptor in the skin, the nerve cells may initially fire rapidly in response to pressure but then slow down as they adapt to the constant pressure stimulus.
A reflex action is a fast, automatic response to a stimulus by an effector organ i.e. a muscle.
A receptor (protein) on a neuron that receives stimulus (light, pressure, chemical...etc). The stimulus generates a receptor potential (local disturbance/slight depolarization in membrane potential).
The reflex arc is a simple nerve pathway involved in involuntary actions, such as pulling your hand away from a hot stove. It includes a sensory neuron, interneuron, and motor neuron that together allow for a rapid and automatic response to a stimulus without needing input from the brain.
A simple reflex action is an automatic, involuntary response to a stimulus that involves a direct pathway through the spinal cord, such as the knee-jerk reflex. In contrast, a conditioned reflex action is a learned response that occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus, as seen in Pavlov's experiments with dogs. While simple reflexes are innate and require no prior learning, conditioned reflexes depend on experience and can be modified over time.
A signal to which an organism responds is called a stimulus. It can be any environmental change or cue that triggers a response or behavior in an organism. This response can range from simple reactions like moving away from a harmful substance to complex behaviors like mating rituals in animals.
A simple reflex travels in this order:StimulusA stimulus (stimuli, plural) is an outside happening that affects the body (i.e., sound, sight, taste, pain). 2. Sensory ReceptionThis is when the body senses the stimulus through receptors located all over the body. Some receptors are clustered to form our major sensory organs (i.e., taste buds on tongue).3. Central Nervous SystemSensory neurons transmit the signal to the CNS (brain and spinal cord) through peripheral nerves that connect from the body's extremities to the CNS.If this simple reflex is part of a simple reflex arc (a stimulus that produces some reflexive response), the brain then sends instructions through a motor neuron to an effector (usually a muscle or gland). This prompts either muscle movement or chemical action.
A reflex refers to an involuntary and automatic response to a specific stimulus, mediated by the nervous system. It typically involves a sensory neuron that detects the stimulus, which then transmits signals to the spinal cord, leading to a rapid response through motor neurons without conscious thought. This mechanism allows for quick reactions to potentially harmful situations, playing a crucial role in protecting the body and maintaining homeostasis. Reflexes can be simple, such as the knee-jerk reaction, or more complex, involving multiple neural pathways.