Homeostasis And Response Flashcards
(42 cards)
What is homeostasis
Homeostasis is the regulation of internal conditions inside cells or organisms, to create the optimum conditions for biological function.
How does the body maintain optimum internal conditions
Maintaining blood glucose concentration.
Maintaining body temperature.
Maintaining water levels.
What is an involuntary action
Process by which the body maintains the conditions of the internal environment autonomically (without thought)
What happens during an involuntary action
1) receptors detect stimulu and sends information to the coordination centres such as the brain and the spinal cord
2) Cooridnation centres process information and organise a response
3) Effectors produce a response to return the conditions to its optimum level. Response may be nervous ( electrical impulses causing muscle contraction) or chemical (hormone secretion)
How do humans react to stimuli
1) Stimuli is a change in the external environment
2)receptor cells detect the stimuli
3) Electrical impulses carried from the receptors to the sensory neurones and then towards the CNS
4) Brain and spine recieve and process the information from the electrical impulses and organise a response
5) Electrical implses travel along a motor neurone from the CNS to the effetors
6) The effectors recieve the electrical impulse from the CNS and respond to the stimuli. This could be from a muscle (contraction) or gland (secretion of hormones)
What is a synapse
When two neurones join together and use chemicals to transfer the electrical nerve impulses across a gap between them.
What happens when information is passed along a synapse
1)electrical impulses travel along the first neurone to the end
2) This causes a chemical called neurotransmitter to be released between the neurones
3) Neurotransmitter diffuse across the gap and binds to receptors on the second neurone
4) Electrical impulses travel across using the neurotransmitter to set off a new electrical impulse in the second neurone
Explain what happens in a reflex arc
1) danger is detected by receptors
2) Impulses is sent from receptors, down a sensory neutone to the CNS
3) In the spine a relay neurone recieves the electrical impulses through the diffusion of neurotransmitter across a synapse
4) The electrical impulses are then diffused across another synapse from the relay neurone to the motor neurone through diffusion of neurotransmitter
5) Electrical impulses travel across the motor neurone to the effetors
6) The effector generates a response to the stimuli (contraction) muscle or (secretion of hormones) gland
Why are involuntary reactions important
It keeps us away from danger and keeps us slive (heart beating)
What does the involuntary reaction not involve
The conscious part of our brain
What do neurone cells combine to create
Nerves
Required practical
Investigating human reaction times
Doing the experiment
1) Ask an uncaffeinated person to hold out their hand
2) Hold a ruler vertically downwards above the hand
3) Hand must be straight ( resting horizontally on the edge of the table) and still and should only catch the ruler when they see it drop
4) At a random time drop the ruler
5) Record where the top of the finger is on the ruler when they catch it.
6) Repeat for a number of times
7) Repeat the whole experiment with the same person 10 minutes after drinking caffeine
8) Compare results
Control any variables to make the test fair
Make sure caffiene isn’t consumed too much
What is reaction time
Time taken to respond to a stimulus
What is the pituitary gland
‘master gland’ that releases essential hormones and controls other glands around the body
What is the endocrine system
Consists of many endocrine glands that release specific hormones into the blood. The hormones transported by the blood to particular cells in the target organs where they produce an effect
Differences between chemical and nervous reaction
Nerves made of neurones carry though electrical impulses (chemicsl through synapses)
Nerves transport messages rapidly but are short term
Neves target specific areas
Hormones transported via blood
Hormones are used when a message requires a long response as it is more long lasting
Hormones are much more general
Examples of organs in the endocrine system
Pituitary gland, thyroid gland ,pancreas,ovaries,adrenal gland,testes
Endocrine gland organs and their function
Pituitary gland- )’ master gland’ releases lots of hormones that regulate body conditions and also some that act on other glands e.g release TSH causes thyroid to release thyroxine.
Thyroid- produces throxine that helps regulate rate of metabolism(basal metabolic rate) , among other things
Pancreas- produces insulin which is important in controlling blood glucose levels
Adrenal gland- produces adrenaline which is involved in fight or flight responses
Ovaries- produces oesteogen in females vital part of menstrual cycle
Tetses-produces testosterone in males which controls puberty and sperm production
What happens when blood glucose concentration is too high
Blood glucose concentration is foo high the pancreas releases insulin which gets tarnsported by the blood stream to the target organ.
Insulin causes glucose to move out of the blood and into the surrounding cells. Additionally, it stores glucose into glycogen in the liver and muscle cells for later hse
What happens when blood glucose concentration is too low
Pancras releases the hormone glucagon into the blood which turns glycogen (insoluble molecules of glucose) in the liver into glucose (soluble).
Glucose is then released into the bloodstream to be used by cells and the blood glucose concentration increases again
Explain the negative feedback reaction of insulin and glucagon
1) pancreas detects that the blood glucose concentration is too high or low
2) pancreas releases hormones in response insulin if there is too much glucose
Glucagon released if there is too little glucose
3) Insulin helps glucose move into cells and converts it into glycogen which decreases blood glucose concentration to a normal amount
Glucagon converts glycogen back to glucose which gets releases into the bloodstream, increasing the blood glucose concentration to a normal amount
What is type 1 diabetes
When the pancreas produces too little or no insulin resulting in blood glucose concentration to rise to dangerous levels
How to treat type 1 diabetes
Insulin injections
Prevention of type 1 diabetes
Carb controlled diet, exercise