Skin and Temperature Regulation Flashcards
What does homeothermic mean?
Maintains stable internal body temperature regardless of external influence
What is normal core body temperature?
37 +/- 0.5oC
At what temperature do proteins start to denature?
41oC
At what temperature do you lose consciousness?
Below 30oC
What does core body temperature vary with?
- External temp
- Activity
- Circadian rhythm
- Menstrual cycle
How is core body temperature maintained?
By balancing heat loss and heat gain

What are the different methods that thermal balance is achieved?
Convection
Conduction
Evaporation
Radiation
Heat production

What is evaporation in terms of thermal balance?
Respiration and sweating
About 600ml/day at rest
But 4L/hour at extremes and losses 600kcal/L
What is conduction in terms of thermal balance?
Heat transfer direct between touching objects
What is convection in terms of thermal balance?
Fluid conduction hence wind chill and water chill
Important in blood too
How is body temperature detected?
Cold and warm thermoreceptors

What are thermoreceptors divided into?
- Peripheral thermoreceptors
- Located in the skin, especially in face and scrotum
- Central thermoreceptors
- Located in spinal cord, abdominal organs and hypothalamus
Where are peripheral thermoreceptors located?
Skin, especially in face and scrotum
Where are central thermoreceptors located?
Spinal cord, abdominal organs and hypothalamus
How does an increases in temperature impact a warm receptor, and a decrease in temperature impact a cold receptor?
Increases frequency

Where do peripheral and central thermoreceptors feed their sensory information into?
Hypothalamic thermoregulatory centre

What do peripheral receptors detect?
Change in environmental temperature

What do central receptors detect?
Change in core body temperature
What are different ways that heat is generated within the body in response to cold stress?
- General metabolism
- Oxidative phosphorylation and other chemical reactions are not 100% efficient
- Voluntary muscular activity
- “Futile” muscular activity
- Shivering thermogenesis
- Involuntary muscular activity
- Nonshivering thermogenesis
- In humans is only significant in infants, due to brown adipose tissue
How does general metabolism generate heat?
- Oxidative phosphorylation and other chemical reactions are not 100% efficient
For generating heat, what is voluntary muscular activity described as?
- “Futile” muscular activity
What is shivering thermogenesis?
- Involuntary muscular activity
In what age group is non-shivering thermogenesis significant in?
Infants due to brown adipose tissue
How is heat loss from the body reduced?
- Vasomotor control
- Sympathetic arteriolar constriction reduces delivery of blood to the skin
- Behavioural responses
- Reducing surface area, adding clothing, moving to warmer environment
