Homeostasis

A condition in which the internal environment of the body remains relatively constant despite changes in the external environment. Examples would be the maintenance of body temperature and levels of glucose in the blood

Homeostatic mechanisms are designed to reestablish homeostasis when there is an imbalance.

The Home Heating System

1. When the temperature of a room decreases below a set point, the thermostat electrically starts the furnace.

2. As the temperature of the room rises to the set point, the thermostat shuts down the furnace.

3. As the room cools, step one is repeated.

There are three components to this system:

1. The Sensor which detects the stress.

2. The Control Center which receives information from the sensor and sends a message to the Effector.

3. The Effector which receives the message from the control center and produces the response which reestablishes homeostasis.

There are three components to a homeostatic system:

1. The Sensor which detects the stress.

2. The Control Center which receives information from the sensor and sends a message to adjust the stress.

3. The Effector which receives the message from the control center and produces the response which reestablishes homeostasis

It should be noticed that

1. the heat produced by the furnace shuts the furnace down through the thermostat.

2. the original stress is reduced, i.e., the room warms up.

Homeostatic mechanisms that show these two characteristics are operating by negative feedback

Hyperthermia Heat receptors in the skin

Hypothalamus

StressSensors Control Center

Increased activity of

sweat glands

Increased blood flow to the skin

Effectors

Perspiration evaporates

cooling the skin

Effect

Stress is reduced shutting down mechanism

Homeostatic Regulation of Body Temperature through Negative Feedback

Homeostasis Using a Neural Pathway

Control center

Many homeostatic mechanisms use a nerve pathway in which to produce their effects. These pathways involve an afferent path which brings sensory messages into the brain and an efferent path which carries outgoing nerve messages to effectors.

Hyperglycemia Pancreas-beta cells

Sensor and Control center

Insulin is releasedinto blood

Liver and Muscle cells take up glucose from

the blood

Effectors

Blood glucose is reduced

Stress is reduced shutting down

mechanism

Stress

Homeostatic Regulation of Blood Sugar through Negative Feedback

Negative Feedback Via a Hormonal PathwayRegulation of Blood Sugar

Hormones play an important role in many homeostatic pathways. Hormones are produced by endocrine glands. They enter the blood after being produced and travel throughout the body. However, hormones have their effect on specific target tissues.

Positive Feedback Mechanisms

Homeostatic systems utilizing positive feedback exhibit two primary characteristics:

1. Time limitation – Processes in the body that must be completed within a constrained time frame are usually modified by positive feedback.

2. Intensification of stress – During a positive feedback process, the initial imbalance or stress is intensified rather than reduced as it is in negative feedback.

Typical Positive Feedback Process

Stress Sensor Control Center

EffectorIntensifies

Homeostatic Regulation of Child Birth through Positive Feedback

Pressure of Fetus on the Uterine Wall

Nerve endings in the uterine wall carry afferent messages

to the Hypothalamus

Production and Release of Oxytocin into the

BloodIncreasing strength of uterine contractions

Intensifies

The birth of the child will bring this process to a close. Other examples of positive feedback regulation occur during milk letdown and blood clotting.

Positive feedback “mini-loops” are built into pathway to speed up production of chemicals needed to form the clot. Entire sequence of clotting is a negative feedback pathway:

Feedback in Coagulation

Harmful Effects of Positive Feedback

Positive feedback can be harmful. Two specific examples of these harmful outcomes would be:

1. Fever can cause a positive feedback within homeostasis that pushes the body temperature continually higher. If the temperature reaches 45 degrees centigrade (113 degrees Fahrenheit) cellular proteins denature bringing metabolism to a stop and death.

2. Chronic hypertension can favor the process of atherosclerosis which causes the openings of blood vessels to narrow. This, in turn, will intensify the hypertension bring on more damage to the walls of blood vessels.

1. What is homeostasis? Why is it called a dynamic equilibrium?

2. Describe these components of a homeostasis loop: stress, receptor, control center, effector, response. Using an example, put them in order.

3. What are the benefits of a negative feedback response? In what direction does a variable change as a result of a negative feedback response to a stress?

4. What are the benefits of a positive feedback response? In what direction does a variable change as a result of a positive feedback response to a stress?

5. What are the risks associated with positive feedback responses?

6. Draw 2 graphs to show negative & positive feedback responses.

7. Explain how positive feedback events can be “built into” a negative feedback loop.

8. What is homeostasis failure? What has happened with this occurs?