Lab 2 Review

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the recording of human nerve reflexes, focusing on reflex mechanisms and related anatomical terms.

Stretch Reflex

A reflex response involving the contraction of a muscle when it is stretched.

Muscle Spindles

Specialized sensory receptors in skeletal muscles that detect muscle length and the rate of change in muscle length.

Monosynaptic Reflex Arc

A reflex pathway containing only one synapse between the sensory neuron and the motor neuron.

Intrafusal Fibers

Muscle fibers found within the muscle spindle that do not contribute to muscle tension but regulate sensory nerve excitability.

Extrafusal Fibers

Muscle fibers that make up the bulk of a muscle and are responsible for generating muscle tension.

Afferent Axons

Nerve fibers that carry sensory signals from the periphery to the central nervous system.

Gastrocnemius Muscle

A major muscle in the calf responsible for plantar flexion of the foot.

Conduction Velocity

The speed at which an electrical impulse travels through a neuron.

Electromyogram (EMG)

A recording of the electrical activity of muscles that reflects the summation of muscle action potentials.

Skeletal Muscle Stretch Reflex

A reflex that occurs when a muscle is stretched, leading to its immediate contraction to oppose the stretch.