Lecture 12 Flashcards
What are homeostatic mechanisms?
Act to counteract changes in the internal environment (exist at cell, tissue, organ, organism level) so internal conditions remain stable/constant
Not a steady state- dynamic equilibrium
What are the characteristics of a control system?
- stimulus (change)
- receptors to detect stimuli
- control centre (often hypothalamus/pituitary)-determines set points, analyses afferent input, determines response
- effector (causes change)
Give come examples of receptors:
Proprioceptors (coordination-self aware of where body is)
Nociceptors (sense pain)
Chemoreceptors (chemicals)
Thermoreceptors (heat)
What is the afferent pathway in a control system?
Communication between receptor to control centre
(Nervous system-AP’s/endocrine system-hormones)
A comes before e in alphabet so Afferent comes before Efferent
What is the efferent pathway in a control system?
Communication between the control centre and the effector
Nervous-AP’s/Endocrine-hormones
Give some examples of effectors:
- sweat glands (thermal regulation)
- muscle (reflex)
- kidney (regulation of water content in body)
These cause the change
Can the set point of a control centre vary?
It is dynamic- circadian/diurnal rhythm (things change with time) so must record time
What cues from the environment feed into circadian rhythm/biological clock?
- light
- temp
- exercise
- social interaction
- eating/drinking pattern
Which nucleus in the hypothalamus is responsible for the biological clock?
Small group of neurones in suprachiasmatic nucleus
What are some circadian rhythms?
- body temp (decreases when asleep)
- cortisol (peak first thing in morning, at minimum at midnight)
- melatonin
What is negative feedback + the hypothalamus/pituitary axis?
- response to reverse direction of change
- most common
(Hypothalamus secretes hormones which have trophic effects- effect secretions of other hormone- in anterior pituitary which travels in blood to target organ for that to secrete hormone)
-local blood supply between the hypothalamus and pituitary
What is long loop negative feedback?
From last hormone in system feeding back to anterior pituitary/hypothalamus
What is the short/ultrashort loop?
Short: Hormonal product from anterior pituitary is feeding back to hypothalamus
Ultrashort: hormone released from hypothalamus inhibits its own release
What is positive feedback? (Rare)
-response to change variable even more in the direction of change
(Used when rapid change is desirable)
- clotting
- ovulation
- Ferguson reflex (cycle of uterine contractions initiated by pressure at the cervix)
How do you regulate the amount of water in the body?
Osmoreceptors in hypothalamus
-Sense osmolality of blood
What is the difference between osmolarity and osmolality?
Osmolarity: number of osmoles per litre (volume)
Osmolality: number of osmoles per kg (mass)
Osmoles instead of moles (osmotically active particles)
E.g. dissolving NaCl (osmolarity will be double that of the molarity)
How does ADH work?
- high blood osmolality (body needs water)
- detected by osmoreceptors in hypothalamus- signals thirst centre= drinking to reduce osmolality of plasma
- hormones synthesised in hypothalamus transported down neurones to be stored in posterior pituitary which then secretes more ADH (other hormone from posterior pituitary is oxytocin)
- ADH signals to cells in collecting duct to increase number of Aquaporins allowing increased reabsorption of water
- small volume of urine
-low blood osmolality
-detected by osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus
-posterior pituitary secretes less ADH
-decreased absorption of water back into collecting duct
= more water lost in large volume of dilute urine
What are the 2 hormones in the posterior pituitary?
ADH
Oxytocin
Mechanism of glucose homeostasis:
-eat meal increases plasma glucose
-pancreas senses increase in glucose and releases insulin
-insulin stimulates glycogenesis in liver + stimulate glucose uptake into tissue via GLUT 4 in adipose/muscle tissue
= plasma glucose conc declines back to 5mM
-fasting decreases plasma glucose
-pancreas (detected by alpha cells in islets of langerhans) secretes glucagon
-stimulates glycogenolysis in liver so glucose released into blood
= plasma glucose increases back to 5mM
What is the endocrine system?
Collection of glands located throughout the body
(Hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, pineal, adrenal glands)
-hormones are chemical signals produced by endocrine glands and travel in blood to remote target site
Apart from endocrine glands, which organs and tissues release hormones?
- heart (ANP + BNP)
- liver (IGF1)
- stomach (Ghrelin + Gastrin)
- placenta
- adipose tissue (Leptin)
- kidney (EPO, Renin, calcitriol)