INTRODUCTION

FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY

According to Science: Human Body and

Mind (2014), reflexes are involuntary and rapid
actions which is usually contolled by the spinal
cord of the human body, Most reflexes don't
have to travel up to the brain to be processed,
LAB REPORT 18: which is why they take place so quickly. A
NERVES AND REFLEXES reflex action often involves a very simple
nervous pathway called a reflex arc. A reflex
arc starts off with receptors being excited. They
then send signals along a sensory neuron to
your spinal cord, where the signals are passed
on to a motor neuron. As a result, one of the
By:
muscles or glands is stimulated.
Group 6
Reflexes can be categorized as either
autonomic or somatic. Autonomic reflexes are
Esta, Ma. Kristina E.
not subject to conscious control, are mediated
Fontamillas, Janica Lee F.
by the autonomic division of the nervous
Gonzales, Gilleah
system, and usually involve the activation of
smooth muscle, cardiac muscle, and glands.
Involuntary reflexes are very fast, traveling in
milliseconds. The fastest impulses can reach
320 miles per hour. Somatic reflexes involve
stimulation of skeletal muscles by the somatic
or voluntary division of the nervous system.
Due date: October 28, 2019 (Monday)
11:59pm Reflex testing is an important diagnostic
Lab time: MTH (9:00 am-12:00 pm) tool for assessing the condition of the nervous
system. Distorted, exaggerated, or reflexes
that are absent may indicate degeneration or
pathology of portions of the nervous system,
often before other signs are apparent. If the
spinal cord is damaged, then reflex tests can
help determine the area of injury. For example,
motor nerves above an injured area may be
unaffected, whereas motor nerves at or below
the damaged area may be unable to perform
the usual reflex activities.

The group conducted 4 reflex testing

including: patellar, triceps, plantar and pupillary
reflexes. The reflex testing was initiated to one
of the group member who willingly participated
in the said experiment.

The patellar tendon reflex, or knee-jerk

reflex, is a monosynaptic stretch reflex that
assesses the nervous tissue between (and
including) the L2 and L4 segments. The triceps METHODS
reflex is another stretch reflex. The triceps
reflex is mediated by the C6 and C7 nerve Materials:
roots, predominantly by C7. The plantar reflex
is elicited by cutaneous receptors of the foot  Rubber mallet
rather than deep receptors in muscles or  Penlight (cellphone’s flashlight
tendons. In a normal individual, stimulation alternative material)
causes flexion of the big toe and the others
toes flex and draw together. This requires A. Patellar Reflex Testing
uninterrupted conduction of impulses along the
pyramidal motor tracts. Damage anywhere
along these pathways produces Babinski’s
Sign to this stimulation where the big toe
extends and the other toes fan laterally.
Babinski’s sign is normal in infants of light that
falls on the retinal ganglion cells of the retina in
the back of the eye, thereby assisting in
adaptation of vision to various levels of
lightness/darkness whose neural control is not
yet fully formed (nerves have not fully
myelinated). The pupillary light reflex or
photopupillary reflex is a reflex that controls the
diameter of the pupil, in response to the
intensity.

This lab activity helped us to investigate

the human nervous system and gained
learnings such as knowing the features of a
reflex arc and be able to apply to specific nerve 1. We made our member sat on a table with
pathways, and understand the flow, nature and her legs dangling above the floor.
problems that may have cause the malfunction
of reflexes. 2. We tapped the patellar ligament (just below
the knee) with the base of the reflex rubber
HYPOTHESIS/HYPOTHESES mallet.
If the reflex testing turned out to be all 3. and the procedure that we have done was
normal, then the spinal nerves are considered repeated with her other lower limb.
to be functioning and performing its role
perfectly but if the testing observed an B. Triceps Reflex Testing
abnormal reaction then possible abnormal
spinal reflex results are determine such as
hyperflexia and hypoflexia. Hyperflexia is an
exaggerated response resulting from damaged
or diseased motor areas in the CNS.
Hypoflexia is an inhibited response resulting
from degeneration of nerve pathways,
voluntary motor control, and other factors.
1. We made our member sat on the chair. D. Pupillary Reflex Testing

2. We supported our member’s arm with the

elbow flexed at a 90° angle, sharply tapped the
posterior surface of the upper arm
approximately 2 inches above the olecranon
(bony “tip” of the elbow).

3. The procedure was repeated on the other

upper limb.

4. We experienced difficulty in eliciting a

response therefore we research another
alternative position which was having our
member lie on her back on the desk with the
elbow bent, so that the arm lies loosely across
the abdomen. We struck the triceps tendon
approximately 2 inches above the elbow.

C. Plantar Reflex Testing

1. We made our member sat on the chair with

head slightly elevated.

2. The cellphone’s light was flash in her eyes

so that the response is to be observed.

3. The same procedure was conducted on the

other eye.

1. We made our member lie on her back with

knees slightly bent and thigh rotated so that the
lateral side of the foot is resting on the table.

2. We drew the handle of the rubber reflex

mallet along the lateral border of our member’s
sole, starting at the heel and continued towards
the big toe (across the ball of the foot).

3. We repeated the same process to our

member’s other sole.
RESULTS

Table 1 data and interpretations of the reflex tests

REFLEX RESULTS EXPLANATION/DISCUSSION

LEFT RIGHT

 Normal  Normal
The knee jerk and a sudden kicking
Patellar
o Hyperflexia o Hyperflexia movement of the lower leg in response to
o Hypoflexia o Hypoflexia the rubber mallet tapping the patellar
o No response o No response tendon.

 Normal  Normal By tapping the rubber mallet on the

triceps tendon while the forearm is
o Hyperflexia o Hyperflexia hanging loose at a right angle to the arm,
Triceps
o Hypoflexia o Hypoflexia the triceps muscle of our member
suddenly extends which indicated a
No response No response normal reflex.
o Normal o Normal
o Babinski o Babinski
By stimulating the sole of the foot with the
response response
Plantar rubber mallet, the plantar showed no
response upon stimulating it.
 No response  No response

Pupillary o Dilation o Dilation By shredding light to the left and rght eye,
the iris decreases or constricts the size of
 Constriction  Constriction the pupil.

o No response o No response

After the tap of the rubber mallet into the patellar ligament, the leg of our member normally
extended once and comes to rest, same as the other lower limb, The sharp tap on the tendon slightly
stretches the quadriceps, the complex of muscles at the front of the upper leg. In reaction these
muscles contract, and the contraction tends to straighten the leg in a kicking motion, which indicates
a normal patellar reflex testing result. The triceps reflex testing on both arms of our member was
normal because A sudden contraction of the triceps muscle causes extension, and indicates a normal
reflex. The arc involves the stretch receptors in the triceps tendon, from where the information travels
through the C7/C8 nerve root to the spinal cord, and the motor signal for contraction returns through
the radial nerve. The plantar reflex testing of our member has no response which indicate a still
normal plantar reflex but considered indifferent, because the normal plantar reflex consists
of flexion of the great toe or no response. The both pupil of our member constricts when shredded by
light and is a normal indication of pupillary reflex and possible normal function of the eye.
ANALYSIS REFERENCES

The reflex testing of our member shows https://www.britannica.com/science/knee-jerk-

no sign of abnormality and the nerves are
performing and functiong well. None of the
symptoms of having abnormal spinal reflex
was observed.
CONCLUSION
reflex
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK397/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscie
nce/pupillary-reflex

Based on the findings of these study, https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-patellar-

the person who underwent to the four reflex reflex.htm
testing has a normal reflex nerve and no https://medical-
disruption in the reflex arc was perceived. dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/triceps+reflex
The group was able to acquire good
observation skills and critical thinking which
helped in axplaining and symptom indicating.
This would also helped us in diagnosing our
future patients and have a advanced
experimental skills which are essential to the
journey of being a future medical profession.

Distracting the patient is essential in

order for her not to focus on the potential
action she is going to perceived and helped us
to get the accurate observation without the
action being exxagerated, which reduces
possible error in our findings.