A.

THE SPINAL ANIMAL

In this experiment, we shall learn that some oi the activities in a frog demand the presence of
the brain. Other activities can be executed in its absence, but not if the spinal cord also is
destroyed.

OBJECTIVES
1. To differentiate the reactions of the frog in terms of a. normal b. spinal and c. double
pithed frog
2. To explain voluntary and involuntary functions of the brain and muscles.

MATERIALS (Hands-On or you may refer output from internet source)

Pithing needle, tank of water, Bunsen burner, frog board, dissecting instruments, thread, ether,
glass jar, and cotton.

PROCEDURE

Make the following tests and observations upon: a) a normal frog; b) a spinal frog, c) a double-
pithed frog.(May refer internet source or do actual hands on at home following IATF protocol)

c. Double Pithed Frog

1. Place the frog on the desk. Note position of the head and eyes and of the fore and hind legs.
Descriptions of the head and eyes: The double pithed specimen displays complete loss of
tension in its limbs and thus lies on its abdomen with its limbs spread out. In a normal frog,
as soon as you touch its eyelid, it will blink. However in double pithing it destroys not only
the brain but also the spinal cord. Technically the central nervous system of the frog was
damage; with that it is clearly observed there is no response.

2. Rate of respiration. By observing the closing and opening of the nostrils or thee raising and
lowering of the floor of the mouth, count the rate of respiration of a quiescent frog.

Answer :
Respiration rate was observed to decrease as more parts of the Central Nervous
System was disconnected to the reflex arcs. This decrease was due to the inability of the
nervous system to efficiently innervate the lungs to function. For Double pithed frog the
total respiration rate of the frog per minute is 38 breaths that are base on the number of
buccal contractions. Breathing is still ongoing since toads primarily breathe through their
skin and not through the lungs.

3. Maintenance of equilibrium.
a. Place the frog on its back.
b. Place it on a frog board and gently revolve the board in a horizontal plane.
Describe the motion and position of the head, eyes, and the fore and hind legs on both sides
of the body.
c. Gently tilt the board so that the head is elevated.
Describe the eyes and body movement: No reactions exhibited by Double Pithed
frog .Righting reflex is the action that would orient the body into its normal orientation
when disturbed. This action was tested by placing its body in a supine position, as well as
placing it on a toad board that is moving on a horizontal and a perpendicular plane.
However, in double pithed frog negative results were observed indicating that the righting
action needs a higher control center such as the brain in order to elicit a reaction
appropriate for the stimulus. The frog would not be able to turn over because the spinal
cord would be hyperexcited due to the loss of inhibition from the brain, resulting to
hyperreflexia .

4. Place the frog in a tank of water. In a spinal frog, swimming movements are frequently made
even though these may not be able to keep the animal from going to the bottom.
Descriptions: The double pithed frog exhibited no swimming motion. When the
spinal cord is severed, the frog legs become completely limp due to flacid paralysis
of skeletal muscle). The frog will never assume a crouching position again, and if
you pinch the frog after the spinal cord is severed, which is difficult because the
frog may be slick, the frog will not feel anything and there will not be a reflex
withdrawal. In other words, spinal severing makes muscle work easier because the
muscle no longer reflexes. Local muscle twitching resulting from spinal nerve
ending stimulation may still occur.

5. Is there any evidence of sight or hearing? (Make a sound and apply hindrance to test a
sense of sight)
Descriptions: Upon exposure to a loud and sudden auditory stimulus it was observed that
there is no response coming from specimen , the same result as I apply hindrance to test a
sense of sight. Without the brain and spinal cord perception of any sensory phenomena is
impossible.

6. Muscular tension. Feel the firmness or flaccidity of the muscles of the thigh and lower leg
With the frog in the squatting position, gently draw one of the hind legs from under it. Feel
the pull(tension) the animal exerts. Release the foot.
Descriptions: The normal and singly pithed frogs both returned to their former places
after being moved to that position, but the double pithed frog did not. Because the
spinal cord is largely responsible for the movement of the lower body, double pithed
frog does not able to display flexor responses when their limbs are pulled or pushed.
When the limbs are flexed, an unique form of extensor response was observed: the
crossed extensor reflex, which acts as postural stability. It should be seen in a normal
toad since it can still keep its posture, but not in a spinal toad because its sense of
balance has already been lost.

7. Pinch the toes.

What is the reaction? State your answer.
Such a response was absent in double pithed frog due to the inherent lack of activity
in the first place. The double-pithed frog did not provide a response since the pain
impulse did not reached the brain and spinal cord anymore and therefore was not
processed.

8. Touch the lid with a cotton bud for (corneal) reflex.

Description: Double pithed frog shows no eye response or blink reflex in the presence
of an object because sensory impulses such as blinking and smelling
are transmitted into the brain in order to be processed.

9. Let the toes of the right foot of a suspended frog dip into a beaker of cold water and
gradually heat the water.( May be done depending on the availability of materials at home
or may check internet source)
Descriptions: Only the normal and single pithed frog displayed responses upon
temperature changes, while the double pithed frog showed no response to the
stimuli. Based on previous studies, when the frog was pithed and considered
brainless it would no longer show a response in hot or cold conditions indicating
that the brain is responsible for processing information regarding temperature.

10. What is the evidence of voluntary activity”

Note: If these tests (1-10) are applied to a pithed frog (brain is pithed) or double pithed
frog( brain and spinal cord are pithed). What do you think are the reactions? (You may refer
internet source output to supply for answers).
 Double pithing is used to render the frogs brain dead before to either experiment.
The frog's capacity to respond to stimulation and activity was hampered as a
result of spinal pithing. Pithing the spinal cord even more severely decreased its
ability to respond to the experimenter's stimuli. The only activity that remains
consistent during all of the actions seen is respiration.