homeostasis- b10 Flashcards
What is homeostasis?
Homeostasis is the regulation of the conditions inside your body to maintain a stable internal environment, in response to changes in both internal and external conditions.
What are internal conditions that are controlled by homeostasis?
- body temperature
- the water content of the body
- blood glucose concentration
Why is homeostasis important?
It is important to respond to changes in the internal or external environment to maintain optimum conditions for cellular enzymes. Enzymes only work at their best in specific conditions of temperature and pH.
What are examples of automatic control systems?
Nervous and hormonal communication systems.
What three main components are automatic control systems made up of?
Receptors, coordination centres and effectors.
What does the nervous system do?
Detects and reacts to stimuli
What are receptors?
Receptors are cells that detect change in the internal or external environment. These changes are stimuli, so receptors detect stimuli.
Receptors are cells that detect stimuli
What are different examples of stimuli?
Change in temperature
Change in water content of blood
Change in blood glucose level
or external changes like loud sounds
What are examples of receptors?
Taste receptors Sound receptors in the ears Receptors in the eye Skin Can also sometimes be the brain or pancreas
What are coordination centres?
Coordination centres are areas that recieve and process the information from the receptors. They send out signals and coordinate the response of the body.
What are examples of coordination centres?
Brain
Spinal cord
Pancreas
What are effectors?
Bring about responses to bring the conditions in the body back to optimum levels.
What are examples of effectors?
Muscles and glands
How does the nervous system react to a stimulus?(explain in full)
When the receptor cells detect a stimulus, they convert the stimulus into an electrical impulse. The electrical impulse travels along the sensory neurones to the central nervous system(CNS). The impulse carries information about the change in the environment, once the impulse has reached the CNS, the CNS processes the information and coordinates a response, resulting in an electrical impulse being sent along motor neurones to the effectors. The effectors carry out the response, e.g muscles respond to the arrival of impulses by contracting. Your glands respond by secreting chemical substances.
What is the CNS?
The CNS is the central nervous system which is made up of the brain and spinal cord. It is a coordination centre and recieves information from the receptors and then coordinates a response.
What are sensory neurones?
Sensory neurones are the neurones that carry information as electrical impulses from the receptors to the CNS.
What are motor neurones?
Motor neurones are neurones that carry electrical impulses from the CNS to effectors.
What are neurones?
Special cells that carry electrical impulses, they are found in bundles of hundreds of neurones known as nerves.
What is a synapse?
The gap between neurones
How do synapses work?
When the impulse reaches the end of the first neuron, a chemical is released into the synapse. This chemical diffuses across the synapse. When the chemical reaches the second neuron, it triggers the impulse to begin again at the next neurone.
What is reaction time?
Your reaction time is how long you take to react to stimulus. It can be measured with the ruler drop test.
What are reflexes?
Reflexes are rapid, automatic responses to certain stimuli that don’t involve the conscious part of the brain-they can reduce the chance of being injured
Why are reflexes important?
They help you to avoid danger or harm
What are examples of reflex actions?
- If someone shines a bright light in your eyes, your pupils automatically get smaller so that less light gets into your eye-this stops it getting damaged
- If you get a shock, your body releases the hormone adrealine automatically
- If you touch something hot, or sharp, you pull your hand back quickly
What is a reflex arc?
It is the pathway that the information travels through in a reflex action(from receptor to effector)
What are relay neurones?
These connect a sensory neurone and a motor neurone, and are found in the CNS
How is a reflex arc different from usual respnoses?
The stimulus does not pass through the conscious areas of the brain which makes the reaction very quick.
How do reflexes work?(short)
An electrical impulse passes from the receptor along the sesnory neurone to the CNS. It then passes along a relay neurone and straight back along the motor neurone. From there the impulse arrives at the effector organ. The effector organ will be a muscle or a gland. This pathway is the reflex arc.
How do reflexes work?(long) ugh ik but its not very hard dont worry :)
When you touch an object, a receptor in your skin is stimulated. An electrical impulse from a receptor passes along a sensory neurone to the CNS(usually the spinal cord)
When an impulse from the sensory neurone arrives at the synapse with a relay neurone, a chemical is released. The chemical diffuses across the synapse to the relay neurone where it sets off a new electrical impulse that travels along the relay neurone.
When the impulse reaches the synapse between the relay neurone and a motor neurone, another chemical is released. Again, the chemical diffuses across the synpase and starts a new electrical impulse travellling down the motor neurone to the effector.
When the impulse reaches the effector organ, it is stimulated to respond.
An impulse also travels up to the spinal cord to the conscious areas of the brain, so you will know about the relfex action after its happened.
What are the main stages of a reflex arc?
Stimulus-receptor-sensory neurone-relay neurone-motor neurone-effector-response