[explodes]

For something like these kinds of reflexes, my understanding is that the response comes from the central nervous system, even before the brain has had the chance to fully process the input. This shortcut makes one avoid, say, burns or snakes, quicker than if it required the brain. Still, I agree with you that seeing what a cat sees (here or anywhere) would be awesome.

[abeppu]

I think the distinction you're drawing between "the central nervous system" and "the brain" is mistaken here -- the brain is part of the CNS. This kind of reflex basically has to involve the brain b/c it involves both the visual system and the motor system i.e. there's not a fast path from the retina to moving your appendages etc that doesn't include the brain.

The "fully process" part is part of the story though -- e.g. perhaps some reactions use the dorsal stream based on peripheral vision while ventral stream is still waiting on a saccade and focus to get higher resolution foveal signals. But though these different pathways in the brain operate at different speeds, they're both still very much in the brain.

[ljsprague]

Some touch-based reflexes might avoid the higher parts of the brain though no?

[abeppu]

Yeah I think there are multiple documented cases of this, where especially well-practiced motor-plans seem to be 'pushed down', and if they're interrupted, correction can start faster than a round trip to the brain.

[trhway]

In this article you can see a typical and a "broken" "visual to amygdala fear shortcuts" (the "broken" is MRI of the famous climber Honnold)

https://assets.nautil.us/10086_6412121cbb2dc2cb9e460cfee7046...

https://nautil.us/the-strange-brain-of-the-worlds-greatest-s...

(the path is from the back of the head (V5?) where the visual nerve comes into brain)

[heavyset_go]

Reflexes do not necessarily have to exist in the brain, but they do exist in the central nervous system. The peripheral nervous system doesn't handle reflexes as far as I'm aware.

[johnisgood]

PNS does not process reflexes, but it is essential for transmitting the sensory and motor components of reflex arcs though.

But yeah, reflexes are processed in the central nervous system (CNS), typically the spinal cord or brainstem, not necessarily the brain.