Simple Reflex Arc (Edexcel IGCSE Biology): Revision Note

Simple Reflex Arc

• A reflex response (also known as an involuntary response) does not involve the conscious part of the brain as the coordinator of the reaction

• Awareness of a response having happened occurs after the response has been carried out

• Responses are therefore automatic and rapid – this helps to minimise damage to the body and aids survival

  • Pain-withdrawal, blinking, and coughing are all examples of reflex responses that help us to avoid serious injury, such as damage to the eye or choking

The reflex arc

• A reflex arc is the pathway taken by electrical impulses during a reflex action

• An example is the withdrawal reflex that occurs when someone steps on a pin

• The pathway of this reflex arc is as follows:

  1. The stimulus (the pin) is detected by a (pain/pressure/touch) receptor in the skin on the person's foot

  2. A sensory neurone sends electrical impulses to the spinal cord (which acts as the coordinator)

  3. An electrical impulse is passed to a relay neurone in the spinal cord (part of the CNS)

  4. A relay neurone synapses with a motor neurone

  5. A motor neurone carries an impulse to a muscle in the leg (the effector)

  6. When stimulated by the motor neurone, the muscle will contract and pull the foot up and away from the sharp object (the response)

• This all happens very quickly and without conscious thought

The reflex arc pathway (in this case for a pain-withdrawal reflex). Reflex actions are automatic and rapid; they do not involve the conscious part of the brain.