nervous system facts

while researching about Spinal Cord Injury (for a topic-based problem-solving discussion classes called PBL for my uni), i came across some interesting stuff.

there is a thing called spinal shock, right after a spinal cord injury.
lets say a flying bike hits you on the back while you were casually walking down the pavement in central London.
the first thing that happens after you get your back bone fractured and central nervous system interrupted, is the spinal shock.

spinal shock comes in various stages.
firstly, you will be paralyzed from below the site of injury. so your legs, thighs and some area of your torso will be numb and unmoving. added to that, there will be no reflex. even if someone decides to thumb-tack your feet, you will have no movement whatsoever.
this is due to the cutting off of nervous impulse from the brain and i will not go into detail. whatever. its all that medical shit that is all boring for you.


after one day or so, the nerve cells starts regenerating at the site of injury, and some reflexes return.
the first reflex to reappear is 'Polysynaptic' in nature, which means lots of synapses are involved.



and here comes the interesting part.



a very famous example of a polysynaptic reflex arc is called a Bulbocavernosus reflex.

some of us can test the reflex.

it involves monitoring anal sphincter contraction in response to squeezing the glans penis or tugging on an indwelling Foley catheter.

which means, you squeeze the tip of your penis, your ass-hole gets tighter.


or, the floey catheter business means when you have a tube up your penis to transfer out urine, you tug it. (ouch) and your ass tightens.


guys should try this.


it works.