Question

list the general sequence of events that occurs in your nervous system from the time you see the reaction time ruler drop to the time you catch the ruler. list each of the nervous system structures involved, including each brain area you think would be used in the process. start with photoreceptors and end with muscles in your forearm and fingers.

Answer 1

Reaction are voluntry response, which is initiated by sensory stimulus( visual in this case), unlike the reflex which is involuntry reflex. Catching a dropped ruler begins with eye watching the ruler in anticipation of it falling, as soon as the ruler is droped the eye senses the falling ruler, retina of the eye contains photoreceptor cells (rodes and cones) in the outermost layer, these photoreceptors are responsible for sight. The image captured by the eye is transmitted to the brain by the optic nerve.the nerve terminates on the cells of lateral geniculate nucleus, the cells of the lateral geniculate nucleus than projects to the primary visual cortex, which process the visual information, which is passed on from the retina, the visual cortex than send message to the motor cortex to initiate catching the ruler, the motor cortex than sends the message to the spinal cord, which than send the message to the hands and fingers, the muscles of the hand contract as the fingers catches the ruler.

Note : Afferent pathway carry signals from from the stimulus to the brain, while the efferent pathway carry signal from the brain to the effector organ like muscle in the hand