Defence reflex

Japanese: 防御反射 - ぼうぎょはんしゃ（英語表記）defence reflex

When a harmful stimulus (noxious stimulus) such as a painful stimulus is applied to an organism, a reflex occurs to avoid the stimulus. This is called a defensive reflex, and is a polysynaptic reflex mediated by many synapses. This reflex is often observed experimentally in animals (vertebrates) in which the influence of the spinal cord from the higher centers has been removed, and is characteristic clinically in patients with disorders such as those in which the spinal cord has been transected. The flexion reflex and the scratch reflex seen in vertebrates are examples of defensive reflexes. The flexion reflex is a reflex in which, when a noxious stimulus is applied to the skin, muscles, etc. of a limb, all of the joints of that limb are bent, moving the limb away from the stimulus.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

生体に疼痛刺激のような有害な刺激(侵害刺激)を加えると，この刺激を回避するような反射が起こる。これを防御反射といい，多くのシナプスを介した多シナプス性の反射である。この反射は，実験的には上位中枢から脊髄への影響を取り除いた動物(脊髄動物)でよくみられ，臨床的には脊髄を横切断するような障害のある患者で特徴的である。屈曲反射および脊髄動物でみられる引っかき反射などは防御反射の例である。屈曲反射は，肢の皮膚，筋肉等に侵害刺激が加えられると，その肢の関節がすべて屈曲して，肢を刺激から遠ざける反射である。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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