Spinal Cord Injury Research Paper

1) Define the terms reflex and identify the components of a reflex arc.
Reflex is a rapid automatic response to specific stimuli and a reflex arc is a pathway that controls reflex action. There are five components of reflex arc: arrival of stimulus and activation of receptor, activation of sensory neuron, information processing in the central nervous system, activation of motor neuron and response by effector.

2) What is the difference between a reflex and a reaction and explain which one would occur faster than the other.
Reflex is an involuntary response to stimuli while reaction is a voluntary response to stimulus because in reaction sensory nerves carry information to the brain where it is perceived and then messages are send to motor …show more content…
A person is aware of somatic reflex occurring. Visceral reflexes are controlled by autonomic neurons and a person is usually unaware of the occurrence of this reflex.

2) Define the term spinal cord injury (SCI), neurological level of injury, tetraplegia, and paraplegia.
Spinal cord injury causes damage to the spinal cord that often leads to change in sensation, strength and other functions below the site of injury. Neurological level of injury refers to the lowest level of spinal cord with normal sensory and motor function on both sides of the body. Tetraplegia refers to damage to the spinal cord within cervical region which results in paralyses in all four limbs. Paraplegia refers to spinal cord injury in the thoracic region of the spinal cord; paraplegics suffer paralysis of the lower body.

3) What is the state of prevalence of SCI.? In other words, what are the medical statistics for people suffering SCI per year (I want several sentences with real data here… look it up! The internet is a wonderful tool.)
According to National Spinal Cord Injury Statistics Center, there are approximately 17,000 new SCI cases each year. As of 2016, there are believed to be approximately 282,000 people in United States currently living with Spinal cord …show more content…
On the other hand, myotome refers to the group of muscle controlled by a single spinal nerve. Dermatome provides sensation from area that a spinal nerve serves while myotome provides motor function. Since myotome and dermatomes are monitored by spinal nerves, damage to a particular spinal nerve can predict which section of the body will most likely suffer.

5) Explain how a stretch reflex works and describe how such reflexes are used to anatomically localize SCI.
Stretch reflex is a type of monosynaptic reflex, where there is a delay between sensory input and motor output. Stretch reflex provides automatic regulation of skeletal muscle length. These reflexes are used to localize spinal cord injury because if a specific area on the body is stimulated but there is no response, then there is most likely a SCI in the spinal cord region that control that area.

6) Based upon the results of Jason’s neurological exam, what is the neurological level of his SCI? In other words, where specifically in the spinal cord is his damage

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