reflex arc

American  

noun

Physiology.

1. the nerve pathways followed by an impulse during a reflex.

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reflex arc British  

noun

1. physiol the neural pathway over which impulses travel to produce a reflex action, consisting of at least one afferent (receptor) and one efferent (effector) neuron

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Etymology

Origin of reflex arc

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Experts tend to agree that there is a hiccup reflex arc, or circuit, that includes the vagus and phrenic nerves.

From New York Times • Aug. 15, 2019

Whereas the basic circuit is a reflex arc, there are differences in the structure of those reflexes for the somatic and autonomic systems.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Salivation in response to food in the oral cavity is based on a visceral reflex arc within the facial or glossopharyngeal nerves.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The reflex arc of mechanism usually involved in hiccups is not entirely understood.

From Time Magazine Archive

Sensory paralysis of the esophagus by breaking the continuity of the reflex arc, may so impair the peristaltic movements as to produce aphagia.

From Bronchoscopy and Esophagoscopy A Manual of Peroral Endoscopy and Laryngeal Surgery by Jackson, Chevalier