Compare and contrast flexor and crossed-extensor reflexes.

The contraction of flexor muscles and the relaxation of extensor muscles illustrate the principle of (a) reverberating circuitry, (b) generalized facilitation, (c) reciprocal inhibition, (d) reinforcement.

List, in sequence, the five steps involved in a neural reflex.

Polysynaptic reflexes can produce far more complicated responses than can monosynaptic reflexes because (a) the response time is quicker, (b) the response is initiated by highly sensitive receptors, (c) motor neurons carry impulses at a faster rate than do sensory neurons, (d) the interneurons involved can control several muscle groups.

What five characteristics are common to all polysynaptic reflexes?

Bowel and urinary bladder control involve spinal reflex arcs that are located in the sacral region of the spinal cord. In both instances, two sphincter muscles—an inner sphincter of smooth muscle and an outer sphincter of skeletal muscle—control the passage of wastes (feces and urine) out of the body. How would a transection of the spinal cord at the L1 segment level affect an individual's bowel and bladder control?

What is the homeostatic value of flexor reflexes?

What clinical information can be gained by conducting somatic reflex tests?

What is the structural and functional relationship between spinal nerves, skeletal muscles, and dermatomes?