What are the cranial reflex?
Reflexes are involuntary responses to peripheral nerve stimulation. A reflex that is mediated by cranial nerves is called cranial reflex such as blinking of eyes, masseter reflex, etc. Cranial reflexes control the movement of the eyeball, tongue, face, head, etc.
What are some examples of cranial nerve reflexes?
This chapter reviews the concepts, methods, and applications of cranial reflexes, including the blink reflex, the jaw jerk (or masseter reflex), and the masseter inhibitory reflex (MIR).
What cranial nerve controls the reflex?
These sensations are carried by CN IX, which acts as the afferent limb of the reflex to the ipsilateral nucleus solitarius (also referred to as the gustatory nucleus) after synapsing at the superior ganglion located in the jugular foramen.
Do cranial nerves carry out reflexes?
Some reflexes are cranial reflexes with pathways through cranial nerves and the brainstem. A reflex arc involves the following components, shown in Figure 1: The receptor is the part of the neuron (usually a dendrite) that detects a stimulus. The sensory neuron transmits the impulse to the spinal cord.
What are some examples of reflexes?
A reflex is an automatic and involuntary action of an organ or muscle in response to a stimulus. Examples of reflexes include the kick of the lower leg when the anterior knee is tapped, pupil constriction in response to bright light, and shivering to generate heat in response to cold temperature.
Is blinking a cranial reflex?
Anatomy. The afferent limb of the blink reflex is mediated by sensory fibers of the supraorbital branch of the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V1) and the efferent limb by motor fibers of the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII).
Why is cranial reflex important?
The cranial nerves (the nerves that arise from the brain rather than the spinal nerves that arise from the cord) provide the pathways to and from the central nervous system for reflexes utilizing the muscles of the head, such as those controlling movements of the eyeball, face, and tongue.
What is the 12 cranial nerves and functions?
Table: Overview of the 12 cranial nerves (CNs)
| Nerve | CN | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Olfactory | I | Sensory Nervous System: Histology |
| Optic | II | Sensory Nervous System: Histology |
| Oculomotor | III | Motor Nervous System: Histology |
| Trochlear | IV | Motor Nervous System: Histology |
What were the two different kinds of reflexes?
There are two types: autonomic reflex arc (affecting inner organs) and somatic reflex arc (affecting muscles). Autonomic reflexes sometimes involve the spinal cord and some somatic reflexes are mediated more by the brain than the spinal cord.