control of the nervous sys. is through -?-when receptors & effector responses that involve the CNS play a part

Question

a) long reflexes
b)short reflexes
c)acquired reflexes

Answer 1

Control of the nervous system is through all three forms:
Short, Long and Acquired reflexes. Neurotransmitters are involved in each one and fill the gap between the neurons. What exactly is going though remains a mystery.

Your heart beat and your lungs are controlled by short reflexes that are usually involuntary and are generated at the base of the brain or even in the spine. The knee jerk reaction when a doctor hits you knee with a hammer just right is a reflex that goes as far as the spinal cord before the return signal is given. These things are considered so important by the body that thought isn't a component.

Long reflexes require more thought by the brain, like adjusting your heart rate when you run. The heart is set to beat on automatic, but when more oxygen is needed due to exertion, the brain will over ride the heart and increase its beating.

In judo, a martial art of sweeps and throws, you develop a “slap the mat” reflex. This reflex happens every time you fall on your back and it breaks the impact of your fall. It is an automatic reflex that is learned over time and with practice. I have seen a person break their arm with this reflex. He as fighting too close to the edge of the mat and when he fell he slapped the hard concrete breaking his fall, and his arm at the same time. This is an example of an acquired reflex.

How do nerves work? They are electrochemical in nature and are more than telegraph wires from the brain. The reflexes are hard wired instinctual actions; usually developed to save our lives. The “slap the mat” reflex in judo turns a sudden hip toss from a knock out blow to a simple fall. The exact operation of nerves is not yet known. What we do know is that each neuron is a biochemical battery with an electric charge that discharges to deliver its message. But, neurotransmitters are chemicals present in the nerves that somehow affect those messages. By adjusting the level of these neurotransmitters in the brain a person’s mood can be altered. Altering others in the body can change or shut down reflexes. Cobra venom is a neurotoxin that paralyzes the lungs; the brain starts to take damage within 3 minutes of being deprived of oxygen. If the damage isn’t fatal then in five minutes the brain will be so oxygen starved that it will shutdown; brain death.

Neurons don’t quite touch each other, there is a gap. Inside of this gap the neurotransmitters operate. What exactly is going on is unknown. We don’t know how the brain forms a memory or establishes a reflex. We think that one neuron can store a simple memory. This is much denser memory than a computer; the brain is far more efficient, even though it relies on slow chemicals. The neurotransmitters recharge the fired neuron, but they do more, they add complexity to the system. Instead of a simple telegraph or telephone system where the brain acts as the operator and places the calls, the neurons can act as operators. When they do they create reactions and actions that are out of our control.

The neuron sets up an axon to make the connections, these patterns of axons are where the reflexes, our thoughts and our memory lie.

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axon_guidance
“Axon guidance (also called axon pathfinding) is a subfield of neural development concerning the process by which neurons send out axons to reach the correct targets. Axons often follow very precise paths in the nervous system, and how they manage to find their way so accurately remains a major puzzle.“

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuron
“Neurons (also known as neurones and nerve cells) are electrically excitable cells in the nervous system that process and transmit information. In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves.
Neurons are typically composed of a soma, or cell body, a dendritic tree and an axon. The majority of vertebrate neurons receive input on the cell body and dendritic tree, and transmit output via the axon. However, there is great heterogeneity throughout the nervous system and the animal kingdom, in the size, shape and function of neurons.
Neurons communicate via chemical and electrical synapses, in a process known as synaptic transmission. The fundamental process that triggers synaptic transmission is the action potential, a propagating electrical signal that is generated by exploiting the electrically excitable membrane of the neuron. This is also known as a wave of depolarization.”

I am sorry I don’t know what CNS you are referring to; if it is a chemical or physical reaction. If you read the sources I sited and track down the links then you should find your answer. I am sorry if this answer isn’t what you were looking for it is the best that can be done with the wording of your question.