Homeostasis and Response Flashcards
Central Nervous System
The part of the nervous system made up of the brain and the spinal cord.
What are neurones?
Specialised cells that carry electrical impulses.
What are the five parts of control systems in the nervous system?
- Stimulus - environmental change
- Receptors - detect the change
- Coordinator - organises the response
- Effectors - create a response
- Response - caused by an effector
Synapse
A gap between two neurons.
Describe the parts of a reflex arc.
- Stimulus
- Receptor
- Sensory neurone - impulses travel along these to the spinal cord
- Relay neurone - located within the spinal cord, and connects sensory and motor neurones
- Motor neurone - connects the relay neurone to the effector
- Effector
- Response
What is a reflex arc?
The pathway of information from a sensory neuron through an inter neuron to a motor neuron.
Hormones
Chemicals produced by glands in the body
Describe the characteristics of a nerve response.
Fast, short lived, electrical response transmitted through neurones
Gland
An organ or tissue that makes a substance for release
What happens if blood glucose is too high?
Insulin is released, causing glucose to move from the blood into the liver cells.
What is Type 1 diabetes and how can it be controlled and monitored?
It occurs when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, meaning the body cells can’t take up glucose.
It can be controlled by monitoring the diet and injecting appropriate amounts of insulin. Exercise is also important as it uses glucose to create energy through respiration.
What is diabetes?
A disease in which the body is unable to regulate blood sugar.
What is type 2 diabetes and how is it controlled?
It is when the person’s body cells no longer respond to insulin produced by the pancreas.
It can be controlled by a low carbohydrate diet (carbohydrate is digested into glucose which raises the overall blood glucose level) and exercise.
Puberty definition and secondary sexual characteristics.
Changes that occur due to reproductive organs.
Boys - testosterone is released by the testes and stimulates sperm production
Girls - oestrogen is released by the ovaries and causes eggs to be released
Negative feedback
A mechanism where changes to conditions cause an action to reverse the change, keeping conditions stable.
Pituitary gland
An endocrine gland that is located just below the centre of the brain and releases a number of important hormones