| vesical reflex | Contraction of the walls of the bladder and relaxation of the trigone and urethral sphincter in response to a rise in pressure within the bladder; the reflex can be voluntarily inhibited and the inhibition readily abolished to control micturition. Synonym: bladder reflex, urinary reflex, vesical reflex. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| mass reflex | In cases of gross injury to the spinal cord, as the stage of reflex activity follows the primary flaccidity of the shock, a condition arises in which a strong stimulus to any part of one of the paralysed limbs will be followed by contraction of the hip, knee, and ankle of the same side and often, when the stimulus is applied to the middle line of the body, of both sides, as well as of the abdominal wall, and even evacuation of the bladder and sweating over an area corresponding to the level of the lesion. (05 Mar 2000) |
| red reflex | A triangular area at the anterior inferior part of the tympanic membrane, running from the umbo to the periphery, where there is seen a bright reflection of light. Synonym: cone of light, light reflex, Politzer's luminous cone, red reflex, Wilde's triangle. Malacarne's pyramid, a lobule on the undersurface of the cerebellum, the posterior portion of the vermis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Gifford's reflex | A constriction of both pupils when an effort is made to close eyelids forcibly held apart. A variant of the pupil response to near vision. Synonym: Galassi's pupillary phenomenon, Gifford's reflex, lid-closure reaction, orbicularis phenomenon, orbicularis pupillary reflex, Piltz sign, Westphal's pupillary reflex, Westphal-Piltz phenomenon. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vestibular ocular reflex | <clinical sign> Reflex movement of the eyes in the opposite direction to that which the head is moved, e.g., the eyes being lowered as the head is raised, and the reverse (Cantelli's sign); an indication of functional integrity of the brainstem tegmental pathways and cranial nerves involved in eye movement. Synonym: vestibular ocular reflex. (05 Mar 2000) |
| vestibulospinal reflex | The influence of vestibular stimulation on body posture. (05 Mar 2000) |
| reflex | 1. <anatomy> Reflected. 2. <neurology, physiology> A reflected action or movement, the sum total of any particular involuntary activity. (18 Nov 1997) |
| reflex, abdominal | Contractions of the abdominal muscles upon stimulation of the skin (superficial abdominal reflex) or tapping neighboring bony structures (deep abdominal reflex). The superficial reflex may be weak or absent, for example, after a stroke, a sign of upper (suprasegmental) motor neuron lesions. (12 Dec 1998) |
| reflex, abnormal | Abnormal, involuntary response to a stimulus which includes hyperreflexia, hyporeflexia, and areflexia. (12 Dec 1998) |
| reflex, acoustic | Intra-aural contraction of tensor tympani and stapedius in response to sound. (12 Dec 1998) |
| reflex angina | Angina pectoris in which the breast pain is comparatively slight, but pallor followed by cyanosis, and coldness and numbness of the extremities, are marked. Synonym: angina spuria, angina vasomotoria, pseudangina, pseudoangina, reflex angina, vasomotor angina. (05 Mar 2000) |
| reflex arc | The route followed by nerve impulses in the production of a reflex act, from the peripheral receptor organ through the afferent nerve to the central nervous system synapse and then through the efferent nerve to the effector organ. (05 Mar 2000) |
| reflex asthma | Asthma occurring as a reflex in disease of the viscera, the nose, or other parts. (05 Mar 2000) |
| reflex, babinski | An abnormal reflex consisting of dorsiflexion of the big toe on stimulation of the sole of the foot. (12 Dec 1998) |
| reflex control | Nerve impulses transmitted to the muscles to maintain normal reflex action. (05 Mar 2000) |