Questions: During a medical examination, the doctor taps your knee with a little rubber mallet. Suddenly, your foot kicks upward. How did this reflex occur? a.) A sensory neuron sent a signal to the spinal cord and synapses with a motor neuron, triggering a muscle contraction. b.) An interneuron sent a signal to the spinal cord and synapses with a sensory neuron, triggering a muscle contraction. c.) A motor neuron sent a signal to the spinal cord and synapses with another motor neuron, triggering a muscle contraction.

During a medical examination, the doctor taps your knee with a little rubber mallet. Suddenly, your foot kicks upward.

How did this reflex occur?
a.) A sensory neuron sent a signal to the spinal cord and synapses with a motor neuron, triggering a muscle contraction.
b.) An interneuron sent a signal to the spinal cord and synapses with a sensory neuron, triggering a muscle contraction.
c.) A motor neuron sent a signal to the spinal cord and synapses with another motor neuron, triggering a muscle contraction.

Transcript text: During a medical examination, the doctor taps your knee with a little rubber mallet. Suddenly, your foot kicks upward. How did this reflex occur? a.) A sensory neuron sent a signal to the spinal cord and synapses with a motor neuron, triggering a muscle contraction. b.) An interneuron sent a signal to the spinal cord and synapses with a sensory neuron, triggering a muscle contraction. c.) A motor neuron sent a signal to the spinal cord and synapses with another motor neuron, triggering a muscle contraction.

Solution

Solution Steps

Step 1: Understanding the Reflex Arc

A reflex arc is a neural pathway that controls a reflex action. It typically involves a sensory neuron, an interneuron, and a motor neuron.

Step 2: Identifying the Sensory Neuron's Role

When the doctor taps your knee, a sensory neuron detects the stimulus and sends a signal to the spinal cord.

Step 3: Signal Transmission to Motor Neuron

In the spinal cord, the sensory neuron synapses directly with a motor neuron, which then sends a signal to the muscle, causing it to contract and your foot to kick upward.