Explain how a reflex and a muscle are related to one another.

Answered below

Explanation:

A reflex is referred to as an instantaneous, automatic and involuntary response or reaction to stimulus.

For a reflex to occur, sensory stimulus activates receptors which transmit the signal to the central nervous system through the afferent neurons. After processing the information, the central nervous system sends response through the efferent neurons to the target organs. Reflexes do not require the higher centers of consciousness.

Reflexes can be categorised as visceral or somatic. Somatic reflexes involve involuntary skeletal muscle motor responses.

A stretch reflex is an example of somatic reflexes. It shows how a reflex is related to a muscle. When the skeletal muscle is stretched, the muscle spindles are triggered. The muscle spindles are the sensory receptors present in the muscle. The afferent axons from these receptors transmit the signal to the motor neurons in the spinal cord and these sends efferent signals that stimulate the muscle to contract in response.