1. The receptor reacts to a stimulus. 2. The sensory neuron conducts the afferent impulses to the CNS. 3. The integration center consists of one or more synapses in the CNS. 4. The motor neuron conducts the efferent impulses from the integration center to an effector. 5. The effector, muscle fibers or glands, respond to the efferent impulses by contraction or secretion a product, respectively.
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A typical reflex arc consists of five components: a sensory receptor, a sensory neuron, an interneuron in the spinal cord or brain, a motor neuron, and an effector organ (muscle or gland). When a stimulus is detected by the sensory receptor, a signal is sent along the sensory neuron to the spinal cord or brain. The interneuron then processes the information and sends a signal along the motor neuron to the effector organ, which produces the response.
An effector is a part of the body (such as a muscle or gland) that carries out the response in a reflex arc. In a reflex arc, when a stimulus is detected by a sensory receptor, a message is sent via a sensory neuron to the spinal cord, where it is processed, and then a message is sent via a motor neuron to the effector causing a response.
The sensory receptor, sensory neuron, motor neuron, and effector involved in a reflex form a reflex arc. This is a neural pathway that controls a reflex action in response to a stimulus without conscious thought.
Damage to the spine can interrupt the transmission of nerve impulses involved in the reflex arc, leading to impaired or absent reflex responses. Depending on the location and severity of the damage, reflexes may be diminished, exaggerated, or completely absent. Physical therapy and rehabilitation techniques may help restore some function in reflex arcs affected by spinal damage.
A reflex arc begins with the stimulation of a sensory receptor such as those on the skin. The stimulus is then passed as an electrical impulse along sensory, relay and motor neurones (by-passing the brain) before reaching an effector orgen, like a muscle, which then responds to the stimulus.
Effectors of a reflex arc are primarily muscles and glands. Muscles are responsible for carrying out the response by contracting or relaxing, while glands may secrete hormones in response to the stimulus.