Monosynaptic Reflex Essay

The basic properties of a reflex are defined as involuntary, stereotypes, and graded. A reflex is an involuntary and stereotyped movement that elicit by a stimulus. When the response of a reflex is graded, the strength stimulation is proportional to the stimulus strength. Most reflexes are unlearned; however, some reflexes can be learned as a result of practice and learning. The five components of a reflex arc are receptor, integrator, afferent nerve fiber, efferent nerve fiber, and effector. These five components together performing a pathway by converting stimulus into an electrical signal which starts action potential after a stimulus detects and acts on the certain receptor, such as skin, muscles, etc.
Monosynaptic reflex and polysynaptic reflex are the two major types of reflex responses. Monosynaptic reflex is the simplest reflex arc that has only one synapse between afferent and efferent neuron. The stretch reflex, or knee jerk reflex, is one of the examples of monosynaptic reflex. In monosynaptic reflex, the pathway of direct stimulation of tibial nerve bypass the muscle spindle
The Vestibulo-Ocular Reflex (VOR) is one of the examples of the polysynaptic reflex, which is the second part experiment of this lab. This reflex integrates the information from both the vestibular system and the optokinetic system. The main function of vestibular system is to maintain the balance and spatial orientation of the head while the function of optokinetic system is to focus an object on the retina and to correct the visual field straight while the head is in motion for certain period. Nystagmus response, an involuntary oscillation of one or both eyes about one or more axes, appears when the eye movement is alternating slow and fast, saccadic pattern once the head is in the direction of acceleration or perceived motion (Abadi,