PROPERTIES OF REFLEXES

Name some common

reflexes.
 MUSCLE TONE
• Muscle tone: The resistance of a muscle to
stretch is referred to as its tone or tonus.

• Hypotonia: If the motor nerve to a muscle is

severed, the muscle offers very little resistance
and is said to be flaccid.

• Hypertonia: A hypertonic (spastic) muscle is

one in which the resistance to stretch is high
because of hyperactive stretch reflexes.
1. ADEQUATE STIMULUS

• Is a stimulus of exact nature which when applied

a reflex action takes place.

• for example: light reflex, stretch reflex, clasp

knife reflex.
2. LOCAL SIGN
 3. REACTION TIME

• The delay between the application of the

stimulus and the reflex action is called reaction
time.

• Example in knee jerk it is 19-24 ms

• Reaction time = central delay + peripheral delay.

3. REACTION TIME
4. FRACTIONATION
5. OCCLUSION
6. RECRUITMENT, IRRADIATION
AND AFTER DISCHARGE
6. RECRUITMENT, IRRADIATION
AND AFTER DISCHARGE
• Limb pinched with increasingly greater force

• reflex flexion of the limb also increases

accordingly.

• This is due to involvement of progressively greater

number of active neurone called recruitment.
 AFTER DISCHARGE:
REVERBERATING CIRCUIT
AFTER DISCHARGE
7. FINAL COMMON
PATHWAY
 8. CENTRAL EXCITATORY
OR INHIBITORY STATE

• Absence of inhibition from higher centres or

stimulatory effect of synaptic NTs leads to
prolonged excitability in spinal cord.
8. CENTRAL EXCITATORY
Paraplegia
 8. CENTRAL EXCITATORY
OR INHIBITORY STATE
• Importance in paraplegic patient:

• Withdrawal reflex in response to noxious

stimuli, in addition to flexion of the limb, also
causes blood pressure changes, sweating,
urination and defecation.

• This is called mass reflex.

 Cause of Mass reflex

• Mass reflex occurs because excitation from

somatic areas spreads to autonomic centres
due to central excitatory states in absence of
inhibition from higher centres.
MOTOR SYSTEM
MOTOR SYSTEM
Define reflex. Name the properties of
reflexes. write a not on recruitment
and after discharge in spinal animal.

Motor areas of the brain.

Brodmann areas
• Reflex

• Stretch Reflex

• Inverse Stretch Reflex

• Withdrawal reflex

• Alpha and Gamma motoneurons

 Regional variations in
cerebral cortex

• Isocortex

• Limbic System - Allocortex

Cortical Columns
Lobes of cerebral hemisphere
 Frontal and prefrontal
• Constists of 5 major areas:

• 1. Promary motor area - 4

• 2. Premotor area - 6

• 3. Frontal eye field - 8

• 4. Broca’s area - 44

• 5. Prefrontal lobe
Frontal and prefrontal

Contralateral
Matures
cognitive
Motor
Dopamine
atcortex
maturity
Movement
age 20
 Frontal Lobe Functions
• Executive Functions:!

• 1. Recognise future consequences resulting from

current actions.

• 2. To choose between good and bad actions or better

and worse actions.

• 3. Override and suppress social behaviour.

• 4. Helps in retaining long term memory. Usually

memories associated with emotions.
Phineas Gage
Phineas Gage
Prefrontal Lobe functions

• Similar To Frontal Lobe.

• Additionally:

• 1. Ability To Suppress Urges.

• 2. Delay Immediate Gratification For Better

Results In Future.
 Prefrontal lesions
• 1. Impaired Judgement

• 2. Change In Personality: Impatient, Loss Of Restraint

And Selfishness.

• 3. Indifference To Pain And Psychologic Conflicts.

• 4. Loss Of Social Sense And Behaviour.

• Prefrontal Lobotomy?

• Criminals? Size Of Prefrontal Lobe Size?

Parietal Lobe

Somatosensory area SI and SII

Agnosia Neglect
 Angular gyrus

• Brodmann area 39

• mathematics and language.

 Temporal lobe

Hippocampus
PRIMARY- AUDITORY
memory, consolidation,
AREA AND AUDITORY
anterogade
GIVES
Wernicke’s
MEANING
area - TO
interpretation
BOTH SPEECHof spoken
ANDwords
HEARING
amnesia,
ASSOCIATION
link faces toAREAS
voices
 Occipital Lobe

Visial areas{epileptics},
Religious experience 17, 18 and philosophical,
19
humourless
Seat of Dreams
Religious experience
See without eyes?
BLINDSIGHT
•  IT IS A PHENOMENON WHEREIN
DESTRUCTION OR INJURY TO THE
POSTERIOR REGIONS OF THE BRAIN
CAUSES A CONDITION IN SOME PEOPLE
CALLED AS BLINDSIGHT.

•  BLINDSIGHT IS THE BRAIN’S NATIVE

ABILITY TO SENSE THINGS USING ITS
PRIMITIVE SUBCORTICAL AND ENTIRELY
SUBCONSIOUS-VISUAL SYSTEM.
Thank you…
BRODMANN’S AREAS
• Brodmann’s areas: 47 in number.

• It is the region of the cerebral cortex defined by

its architecture or organisation of cells.
Area 3,1,2 - Postcentral Gyrus

Somatosensory Area S1
Somatosensory and conscious !
proprioceptive sensations
Area 4

Primary Motor Cortex

 Area 5 and 7

Somatosensory Association cortex

 Area 6 and 8

Premotor Area!
Frontal Eye field
 Area 17,18,19

Primary Visual Cortex - V1

 Area 17,18,19

Visual Association Areas

 Area 17,18,19

Primary Visual Cortex - V1

 Area 41,42

Primary Auditory Areas!

and Auditory association Areas
 Area 44

Broca’s Area
 Area 22 and 39

Area 22 - Higher Association for hearing!

Area 39 - Higher association for vision
Cerebral Dominance
 Cerebral Dominance
language and speech

Categorical hemisphere

Dominant hemisphere

Representational hemisphere
music and forms
Non-Dominant hemisphere
 Cerebral Dominance
Planum temporale is larger
Temporal and occipital !
lobes are larger
Frontal lobe is broader
High dopamine in NSpathway
 Prosopagnosia

• inability to recognise faces.

• Recognise people with voice, but unable to

recognise them on meeting.
MOTOR SYSTEM