Golgi tendon reflex
Golgi tendon reflex or inverse myotatic reflex or clasp-knife reflex is a protective reflex to prevent over stretching and tear of muscle fibres and coordinate skeletal muscle acti.
- Sensory receptor organ : golgi tendon organ
- Present in tendons of somatic skeletal muscle
- Present in pheripheral terminal and large of mylinated, class Ib nerve fibres.
- These receptors are excited during muscle contraction as contraction causes stretch of the tendon.
- These recptors are sensitive to change in the muscle tension.
- Class Ib fibres terminate in the internuncial neurons of spinal cord after forming a mono synaptic reflex arc.
- When muscle contracts, muscle tension increases which also causes increased tension of muscle tendons which in turn ends in the stimulation of golgi tendons.
- Sensory fibres from this receptor transmit signals to spinal cord to inhibit muscle contraction.
