Peripheral Nervous System &

Reflex Activity
Part D: Motor Control & Reflexes
Prepared by Janice Meeking & W. Rose.
Figures from Marieb & Hoehn 8th , 9th eds.

Portions copyright Pearson Education

Levels of Motor Control

Segmental level
Projection level
Precommand level

Precommand Level
(highest)
Cerebellum and basal
nuclei
Programs and instructions
(modified by feedback)
Internal
feedback

Feedback
Projection Level (middle)
Motor cortex (pyramidal
system) and brain stem
nuclei (vestibular, red,
reticular formation, etc.)
Convey instructions to
spinal cord motor neurons
and send a copy of that
information to higher levels
Segmental Level (lowest)
Spinal cord
Contains central pattern
generators (CPGs)
Sensory
input

Reflex activity

Motor
output

(a) Levels of motor control and their interactions

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Figure 13.13a

Precommand level
Cerebellum
Basal nuclei

Projection level
Primary motor cortex
Brain stem nuclei
Segmental level
Spinal cord
(b) Structures involved
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Figure 13.13b

Reflexes
Inborn (intrinsic) reflex: rapid,
involuntary, predictable motor
response to a stimulus
Learned (acquired) reflex: requires
practice and/or repetition
Driving
Sports

Stimulus

Skin

1 Receptor

Components of a
reflex arc (neural
path)
Interneuron

2 Sensory neuron
3 Integration center
4 Motor neuron
5 Effector
Spinal cord
(in cross section)
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Figure 13.14

Spinal Reflexes
Mediated by spinal cord
Regulated by the brain
Work (but abnormally) even in spinal
cord injury patients
Effectors are skeletal muscle
Examples: Stretch, Golgi tendon, flexor,
crossed extensor, cutaneous

Spinal reflex testing an important

part of a clinical neurological exam

Stretch and Golgi Tendon

Reflexes
Help coordinate muscle activity
Require proprioceptive input
Muscle spindles provide muscle length
information
Golgi tendon organs provide muscle
and tendon force information

Stretch Reflex
Maintains muscle tone in large postural
muscles
Muscle lengthening causes contraction of
stretched muscle, relaxation of antagonist
Stretch activates muscle spindle
IIa sensory neurons make excitatory synapses onto
motor neurons in spinal cord
motor neurons cause stretched muscle to
contract

Stretch reflex is monosynaptic and ipsilateral

Sensors for the Stretch Reflex: Muscle

Spindles
310 short modified (intrafusal) muscle fibers in a
connective tissue capsule
Noncontractile in central region (no myofilaments)
Wrapped with two types of afferent endings:
primary sensory endings of type Ia fibers and
secondary sensory endings of type II fibers
Contractile end regions innervated by gamma ()
efferent fibers that maintain spindle sensitivity

Note: extrafusal fibers (regular muscle fibers) are

innervated by alpha () efferent fibers

Secondary sensory
endings (type II fiber)

Primary sensory
endings (type Ia
fiber)
Muscle spindle
Connective
tissue capsule

Efferent (motor)
fiber to muscle spindle
Efferent (motor)
fiber to extrafusal
muscle fibers
Extrafusal muscle
fiber
Intrafusal muscle
fibers

Sensory fiber

Golgi tendon
organ
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Tendon
Figure 13.15

Sensors for the Stretch Reflex: Muscle Spindles

Excited by stretch, which could be caused by:
1. External stretch of muscle and muscle spindle
2. Internal stretch of muscle spindle due to activation
of motor neurons, stimulating ends to contract,
thereby stretching spindle

Stretch causes an increased rate of impulses

in Ia fibers
coactivation maintains tension and
sensitivity of spindle during muscle
contraction

Muscle
spindle
Intrafusal
muscle fiber
Primary
sensory (la)
nerve fiber
Extrafusal
muscle fiber

Time

Time

Time

(a) Unstretched
muscle. Action
potentials (APs)
are generated at
a constant rate in
the associated
sensory (la) fiber.

(b) Stretched
muscle. Stretching
activates the muscle
spindle, increasing
the rate of APs.

(c) Only motor

(d) - Coactivation.

neurons activated.
Both extrafusal and
Only the extrafusal
intrafusal muscle
muscle fibers contract.
fibers contract.
The muscle spindle
Muscle spindle
becomes slack and no
tension is mainAPs are fired. It is
tained and it can
unable to signal further
still signal changes
length changes.
in length.

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.

Time

Figure 13.16a, b

Stretch Reflex Example: Patellar (knee-jerk

2

Quadriceps
(extensors)
1

3a

3b

3b

Patella

Muscle
spindle

Spinal cord
(L2L4)
Hamstrings
(flexors)

Patellar
ligament

1 Tapping the patellar ligament excites

muscle spindles in the quadriceps.

2 Afferent impulses (blue) travel to the
spinal cord, where synapses occur with
motor neurons and interneurons.
3a The motor neurons (red) send

Excitatory synapse
Inhibitory synapse

activating impulses to the quadriceps

causing it to contract, extending the
knee.
3b The interneurons (green) make

inhibitory synapses with ventral horn

neurons (purple) that prevent the
antagonist muscles (hamstrings) from
resisting the contraction of the
quadriceps.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 13.17 (2 of 2)

Golgi Tendon Reflex

Only kicks in when force is large. May act to
prevent muscle tearing due to excessive force.
Some evidence for a role in normal muscle
coordination too.
When tendon stretches, this reflex causes
muscle to relax & antagonist to contract
Opposite to stretch reflex response to
lengthening
Polysynaptic

1 Quadriceps strongly

contracts. Golgi tendon

organs are activated.

2 Afferent fibers synapse

with interneurons in the

spinal cord.

Interneurons

Quadriceps
(extensors)

Golgi
tendon
organ

Spinal cord

Hamstrings
(flexors)
3a Efferent impulses

+ Excitatory synapse
Inhibitory synapse

Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.

to muscle with
stretched tendon are
damped. Muscle
relaxes, reducing
tension.

3b Efferent

impulses to
antagonist
muscle cause
it to contract.
Figure 13.18

Flexor and Crossed-Extensor Reflexes

Flexor (withdrawal) reflex: ipsilateral,
polysynaptic
Painful stimulus causes automatic withdrawal of
the threatened body part

Crossed extensor reflex: contralateral;

polysynaptic
Occurs with flexor reflex in weight-bearing limbs
to maintain balance
Contralateral extension while ipsi side flexes

+ Excitatory synapse
Inhibitory synapse

Interneurons

Efferent
fibers

Afferent
fiber
Efferent
fibers

Extensor
inhibited
Flexor
stimulated

Site of stimulus: a noxious

stimulus causes a flexor
reflex on the same side,
withdrawing that limb.
Copyright 2010 Pearson Education, Inc.

Arm
movements

Flexor
inhibited
Extensor
stimulated

Site of reciprocal
activation: At the
same time, the
extensor muscles
on the opposite
side are activated.
Figure 13.19

Superficial (cutaneous) reflexes

Elicited by gentle cutaneous stimulation
Depend on upper motor pathways and
cord-level reflex arcs
Plantar
Abdominal

Plantar reflex
Stimulus: stroke lateral aspect of sole of
foot
Normal response: downward flexion of toes
Tests for function of corticospinal tracts
Babinskis sign: abnormal response
Hallux dorsiflexes, smaller toes fan laterally
Normally in infants <1 y.o. due to incomplete
myelination
In adults, indicates corticospinal or motor cortex
damage

Reflex Testing
Normal Babinski:
http://library.med.utah.edu/neurologicexam/html/motor_normal.html#10

Normal Babinski (infant):

http://video.google.com/videoplay?

docid=-3102473882446365023&pr=goog-sl

Positive Babinski (adult):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWKTrUjxkqs
Movies from the Neurologic Exam and PediNeurologic Exam websites by Paul D. Larsen, M.D.,
University of Nebraska Medical Center and Suzanne S. Stensaas, Ph.D., University of Utah School of
Medicine. Additional materials for Neurologic Exam are drawn from resources provided by Alejandro
Stern, Stern Foundation, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Kathleen Digre, M.D., University of Utah; and
Daniel Jacobson, M.D., Marshfield Clinic, Wisconsin.

Abdominal reflexes
Cause contraction of abdominal muscles
and movement of the umbilicus in response
to stroking of the skin
Vary in intensity from one person to another
Absent when corticospinal tract lesions are
present