homeostasis Flashcards
what is homeostasis
regulation of internal conditions of a cell/organism to maintain optimum conditions in responses to internal and external changes
three examples of internal conditions in humans
keep:
blood glucose concentration
body temperature
water levels
constant
features of automatic control system
receptor cells
coordination centre
effector
what do receptor cells do
detect stimulus/changes in environment (internal and external)
passes information to coordination centre
what does coordination centre do
receives and processes info from receptor cells
sends instructions to effector
what does effector do
muscle or gland that restores optimum level by carrying out response
two parts of nervous system
cns - brain and spinal chord
other nerves running to and fro cns
describe how nervous system works
receptors detect stimulus
sends electrical impulses down neurones to cns (coordination centre)
cns sends electrical impulses down neurones to effector
effectors are usually..
contracting muscles or hormone-secreting glands
how does reflex arc work
• receptor detects stimulus
• sends electrical impulses along sensory neurone to cns
• end of sensory neurone: synapse which releases chemical that passes impulse to relay neurone
• end of relay neurone: synapse releases chemical that passes impulse to motor neurone
• end of motor neurone: effector
• effector carries response
how to investigate reaction time
• p1 sits upright on stool and rests arm on table, dominant hand overhanging
• p2 holds ruler vertically, with 0cm at thumb level
• p2 drops at random time, p1 catches quick as possible
• record measurement at top of thumb
• repeat 5x and calculate mean. convert to reaction times using online conversion table
independent variable of investigating reaction time
drink caffeine and repeat experiment
dominant hand & non dominant hand
what does the brain do
controls our complex behaviours
what is the outer brain called and what does it do
cerebral cortex
responsible for language, memory, consciousness, and intelligence
what is the bit at the back of the brain called and what does it do
cerebellum
controls muscle coordination e.g movements and balance
what is the bit in the middle of the brain and what does it do
medulla
controls unconscious activity e.g breathing and heart rate
why are brain problems difficult to study
skull makes access difficult
extremely complex structures
delicate and easy to damage
three methods to study brain
- study patients with brain damage. by knowing where damage is, they can try to link that area to its function
- electrically stimulate it. do this to different parts of brain and look at effects on behaviour
- mri scans. allows us to look at which parts of brain are most active during activities
what stimulates receptors in eye
changes in light intensity and colour
what does cornea do
transparent front of eye. it refracts light rays into eye
what does lens do
focuses light rays to the back of the eye
ciliary muscles and suspensory ligaments can change shape to lens to focus on near/distant objects
what does the retina do
back of the eye - contains receptor cells for light intensity & colour, then send electrical impulses
what does the optic nerve do
carries impulses from retina receptors to brain
what does the sclera do
white part - tough, protective layer
what does the pupil do
space in centre of iris - allows light rays to pass into eye
what does the iris do
coloured part - controls size of pupil
explain what happens in eye when you enter a dark room
REFLEX ACTION
- light intensity is lower
• receptors in retina detect this
• electrical impulses sent to brain
• brain sends electrical impulses to muscles in iris
• muscles contract, causing pupil to become larger
• more light can enter eye
order of where light goes in eye
CIPLRO
cornea
iris
pupil
lens
retina
optic nerve
how to remember eye order
ciplro
can
i
please
live
really
old
what is accommodation
changing the shape of the lens to focus on near or distant objects
structure of lens
suspensory ligaments connects lens to surrounding ciliary muscle
what happens to lens when looking at near object
• ciliary muscles contracts, causing suspensory ligaments to loosen
• lens is now thicker and more curved
• meaning it refracts light more strongly
what happens to lens when looking at something far
• ciliary muscles relax, causing suspensory ligaments to pull tight
• lens becomes thin and less curved
• refracts light by smaller amount
what is hyperopia and why does it happen
long sightedness
eyeball is too short or lens is too thin, so when focusing on near objects,light is focused at a point behind the retina
how to treat long sight and graph
glasses with convex lenses - partially focus light before it enters eye
what is myopia and why does it happen
short sightedness
eyeball is too long or lens is too thick, so when focusing on distant objects, light focuses in front of retina
how to treat short sightedness and graph
glasses with concave lenses - partially unfocusses light before it enters eye
three treatments for vision defects with one pro and one con
contact lenses - convenient for sport, risk of infection
laser eye surgery to change shape of cornea - precise, risk of infection
replacement lens surgery - risk of damage to retina
what is normal body temperature
37 °
impulses from which receptors go the part of the brain that controls temperature, and what is the part of the brain called?
receptors in the thermoregulatory centre (TC) detect blood temp.
receptors in skin detect skin temp and send impulses to TC
what happens when body temp gets too high e.g during excersize
• receptors detect that its too high
• TC acts as coordination centre. it receives info from receptors and triggers effectors
• effectors e.g sweat glands respond
three things when body is too hot
• hairs are flat
• sweat glands -> sweat -> evaporates, energy taken from body -> body cools
• vasolidation
what is vasolidation
blood vessels that supply capillaries at surface dilate so more blood flows. heat transfers out of blood, body temp decreased