Motor Function of spinal cord

Human Reflexes

 What

is a reflex?

Functional

unit of CNS, involuntary

response to a stimulus
-example/pinprick

Reflex Arc
/DIF: formed of.Sense organ (receptor). An afferent neuron. One or more synapses (CNS). An efferent neuronAn effector organ-

Bell-Magendi law-

Components of reflex arc

**-Afferent

neuron

- Afferent neurons undergo:

1- Divergence WHY?
2- Convergence WHY?

**- Interneurons (excitatory or inhibitory).

- (Two types of circuits formed by inter neurons
(parallel and reverberating circuits).

Reverberating circuits
1- Parallel

2-Reverbrating

Reverberating circuits
--Function
-- In brain and spinal cord
--

Respiration&Wakefulness

Renshaw cells
. located in anterior horn with motor neurons inhibitory (presynaptic inhibition, negativefeedback fashion)
.lateral inhibition to nearby neurons

&

Efferent neuron
1. alpha

motor neurons

2. Gamma

motor neurons

Types of reflexes

Stretch reflex

Stretch reflex
-Components:Receptor
Afferent
AHC
Efferent
Effector

Stretch Reflex/ example Knee jerk

Stretch reflex receptor ( Muscle Spindle)

:- Structure of Muscle Spindle

:Two types of intrafusal fibres

.

Muscle Spindle Fibers

Innervation of the muscle spindle

:Sensory Afferent fibres-1
Efferent fibres to spindle-2

Reaction time/
Central delay/
-Number of synapses

Functions of muscle spindle:-

Types of responses
Component of stretch reflex

Dynamic stretch reflex (dynamic or phasic-1

(response

Static stretch reflex( static response- 2

.1

Muscle Tone:- Static stretch reflex

resistance of muscle to stretch
-Stimuli for muscle tone
Dif/

? Present inhypotonic or flacidityhypertonic,spastic muscle-

:-Effect of gamma efferent discharge

a- dynamic gamma efferent
B-Static gamma efferent

:-Muscle can contract by

alpha-gamma linkage(coactivation)

Reciprocal inhibition
IN KNEE JERK/
contraction of EXTENSOR of thigh
relaxation of FLEXORS

>>>>>>>

. :-Physiological Tremor

Higher control on gamma efferent

:-discharge
.Cortical areas-1
.Basal ganglia-2

.Brain stem-3
Facilitatory
:Inhibitory

.The cerebellum-4

Facilitatory supra spinal centers

Inhibitory supra spinal centers

Factors influence stretch reflex

(

Enhances

Inhibits

:Jendrassiks Maneuver

The Golgi tendon reflex

(inverse stretch reflex- (AUTOGENIC INHIBITION))

The Golgi tendon reflex (inverse

stretch reflex)

Lengthening Reaction:- response of spastic muscle to

lengthening

Clonus:- as Ankle clonus

Clinical significance of stretch

reflex:-Tendon jerks

Centers of some reflexes

Clinical significant

Centers of some reflexes

Clinical significant

Withdrawal reflex
(flexor reflex)
Properties of withdrawal Rcrossed extensor reflex-

Crossed extensor reflex

:-Importance of withdrawal reflex

Other examples of polysynaptic reflexes