Name: The Endocrine System
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 21 min 47 s
Description: The endocrine system is made up of several organs called glands. These glands, located all over your body, create and secrete (release) hormones. Learn more.

Question

Explain the Reflex pathway with the help of a neat labelled diagram.

Accepted Answer

I. Reflex action: Reflex action is described as a fast, reflexive, involuntary, and frequently unconscious activity triggered by external or internal impulses that stimulate receptors.

II. Reflex arc: The CNS regulates reflex activities. The structural or functional unit of reflex action is the reflex arc. A simple reflex arc is made up of the five elements listed below:

1. Receptor organ: A receptor organ is the sensory portion that receives the stimuli. Any sensory organ can take the input and transform it into an impulse, such as the skin, eye, ear, tongue, nasal epithelium, and so on.

2. Sensory neuron or afferent neuron: A sensory neuron is the sensory component that transmits impulses from the receptor organ to the CNS. Its cyton is found in the dorsal root ganglion. It has a long dendron that connects to the receptor, and the axon penetrates the grey matter of the spinal cord to establish a synapse.

3. Adjustor, association, or intermediate neuron: It is present in the grey matter of the spinal cord. The association neuron receives an impulse from a sensory neuron, interprets it, and generates a motor impulse.

4. Motor neuron (effector): Motor neurons have cytoplasm in the ventral horn of grey matter, and their axons go down the ventral root. It is responsible for transporting motor impulses from the spinal cord to the effector organ.

5. Effector organ: A motor impulse excites an effector organ, which is a specialised portion of the body. It responds appropriately to the stimulus, such as muscles or glands. A unidirectional impulse follows the line of reflex action. It begins in the receptor organ and travels through the CNS to the effector organ.

Explain the Reflex pathway with the help of a neat labelled diagram.

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