How does the human reflex system work?

Answer 1

Reflex actions involve just three types of neurone. These are :

- sensory neurones,

- motor neurones, and

Relay neurones which simply connect a sensory neurone and a motor neurone. We find relay neurones in the CNS, often in spinal cord

Answer 2

An impulse starts when a receptor picks up a stimulus. (eg. touching a hot pan-stimulus=heat or hot pan, and the receptor=skin, but not the hand because the receptor can only be a sense organ) The stimulus travels through and impulse through three sets of nuerons. First, the sensory nuerons, then internuerons found in your brain and spinal cord, and finally motor nuerons, found in muscle cells. However, in a reflex the response is faster, so it goes from your senses, just to your spinal cord, and down to the motor nuerons. In the motor nuerons,the effector (the body part moving) does the action that the impulse tells you to do (in this case moving your hand away from a hot pan).

Answer 3

Neural reflexes are the building blocks for the diagnosis of dysfunction in the CNS. This article describes the basis of neural connection underlying the control of posture, the autonomic nervous system, monosynaptic stretch reflexes, and polysynaptic motor reflexes. The neural reflexes consist of the stimulus, the receptor, sensory neurones, efferent, effectors and respnse

Answer 4

Reflex actions are involuntary movements of the body. They are caused by the nerve endings in the body to prevent pain or injury.