The pharyngeal reflex or gag reflex (also known as a laryngeal spasm) is a reflex contraction of the back of the throat, evoked by touching the roof of your mouth, the back of your tongue, the area around your tonsils and the back of your throat. It, along with other aero digestive reflexes such as reflexive pharyngeal swallowing, prevents something from entering the throat except as part of normal swallowing and helps prevent choking.
Read more about Pharyngeal Reflex: Reflex Arc, Suppression and Activation, Its Absence, Reflexive Pharyngeal Swallow
Famous quotes containing the word reflex:
“The theatre is the involuntary reflex of the ideas of the crowd.”
—Sarah Bernhardt (1845–1923)