Upon testing the knee jerk reflex during a routine physical, a nurse notices that the reflex is hyperactive. What could be the explanation for this? If instead the reflex was hypoactive, what may the nurse conclude?
What will be an ideal response?
A hyperactive knee jerk reflex suggests a lack of descending inhibition. This could indicate injury or disease in the spinal cord above the reflex arc, or in a brain area involved in motor control. A hypoactive reflex could indicate damage to any of the components of the local reflex arc, including the muscle, the spinal nerve, or that level of the spinal cord. Alternatively it is possible the patient is deliberately inhibiting the reflex by descending inhibition. Reflexes can also be adversely affected by metabolic disorders.
You might also like to view...
If the vagal nerves to the heart were cut, the result would be that ________.
A) the heart would stop, since the vagal nerves trigger the heart to contract B) the heart rate would increase by about 25 beats per minute C) the AV node would become the pacemaker of the heart D) parasympathetic stimulation would increase, causing a decrease in heart rate
Which is a physiological description rather than an anatomical one?
A. The muscles of the thigh are composed of skeletal muscle tissue. B. The walls of blood capillaries are composed of a thin epithelium. C. There are fenestrations (openings) in the epithelial cells of capillary walls. D. The muscles of the intestinal wall contract slowly and involuntarily. E. The esophageal wall includes a middle layer of dense irregular connective tissue.
Compare the body stalk with the yolk stalk
What will be an ideal response?
A(n) ________ is a group of similar cells and their intercellular materials in a discrete region of an organ performing a specific function
A) organism B) organelle C) tissue D) macromolecule E) organ system