Question

What is a digestive reflex when thinking about long and short digestive reflexes? Why are they important for efficent digestive nutrients and give examples of how they respond to stimuli?

Answer 1

The digestive system has a complex system of motility and secretion regulation which is vital for proper function. It is accomplished via - Long reflex, Short reflex and reflex from GI peptides working in harmony.

Long reflexes to the digestive system involve a sensory neuron sending external or internal digestive information to the brain. This type of reflex includes reactions to food, emotion, or danger.

IMPORTANCE:

These include that control much GI secretion, peristalsis, mixing contractions, local inhibitory effects.

It includes:

• Vagovagal reflex

• Pain reflex

• Defecation reflex

• Vomiting reflex

How they act?

Short reflexes to the digestive system provide shortcuts for the enteric nervous system (ENS) to act quickly and effectively, and form a sort of "digestive brain". It reacts to digestive movement and chemical changes.

These reflexes transmit signals to other areas of GI tract. It includes:

• Gastrocolic reflex

• Enterogastric reflex

• Colonoileal reflex

• Ileogastric reflex

IMPORTANCE: In general, They control the motility, or peristalsis, of the gastrointestinal tract following a meal. They also regulate the secretion of GI juices.

How they act?