the simplest unit of nervous activity; involved in the detection of a stimulus in the environment by sensory nerve endings, followed by impulses that travel via the sensory neurons to the spinal cord.
The system of sensory and motor neurones which carry out a reflex action.
The receptor, sensory neuron, motor neuron, and effector involved in a particular reflex; interneurons may be present, depending on the reflex considered.
the neural path of a reflex
a simple example of how nerve cells help to control and coordinate processes in the body
a simple neural circuit linking a sensory receptor to an effector
A neural pathway that links a sensory receptor and an effector. 623
Pathway of neurons, effector(s) and sensory receptors that participate in a reflex.
a reflexive behavior that occurs when a message from sensory fibers causes a motor reaction directly, without the impulse having to first be sent to the brain (e.g., the reflex arc of the spinal nerves)
In its simplest form, three components. Receptor, association, and effector (efferent) neurons facilitate one-way transmission of nerve impulses in a repetitive manner.
Refers to a response to an intact sensory/motor arc that does not require messages to go to the brain for the action to happen, for example: bladder contraction.
a nerve pathway which produces an automatic response Humans as organisms
A reflex arc is the neural pathway that mediates a reflex action. In higher animals, these pathways do not pass through the brain, but synapse in the spinal cord. This characteristic allows reflex actions to occur relatively quickly by avoiding the delay of routing signals through the brain, although the brain will receive sensory input while the reflex action occurs.