1, Homeostasis

Posted on September 16, 2015

Intro Lecture. Syllabus readthrough. Someones nokia ringtone goes off at

the 6 minute mark.
Physiology The study of how the body functions.
PSL300 is divided into organ systems, requires understanding of
everything from molecules to organisms.
The focus of this lecture is HOMEOSTASIS.
The process of maintaining a constant internal environment despite
changing conditions
An organism is in homeostasis, until an internal or external stimulus
throws it off balance. The system will attempt to compensate. If this
succeeds, you get wellness, if it fails, you get disease.
1) Feedback Control
Positive Feedback
An internal stimulus causes a change. The response attempts to reduce
the stimulus
Ex: Regulation of Blood Pressure

mechanical receptors inside the corroded artery and aorta sense

the falling blood pressure. Send signal to autonomous nervous
system to correct it

Negative Feedback
Initial stimulus causes a response that amplifies the stimulus
Ex: Oxytocin and control of uterine contractions

cervical stretch oxytocin from the posterior pituitary, works on

uterus to contract, causes the baby to move further down and cause
more cervical stretch

Aquarium Example of feedback control

Demonstrated the steps
Stimulus -> Sensor/Receptor -> Afferent Pathway -> Integration Center ->
Efferent Pathway -> Target/Effector -> Response

Afferent Pathway sends information from receptor to the center, efferent

pathway sends it from the center to target.
2) Homeostasis is a range
biological rhythms result from changes in a setpoint that is not exact,
but fluctuates throughout the day. Need to understand this variation
3) Establishing Homeostasis
Cell-to-cell communication
i) Local Communication

Gap Junctions direct cytoplasmic connections between adjacent

cells

Contact Dependent Signals interactions between membrane

molecules on two cells

Autocrine (local) signals secreted by one sell, act on adjacent cell

of same type

ii) Long Distance Communication

Endocrine Signals hormones secreted by endocrine gland

Neural signals neurotransmitters (diffuse across small gap b/w

cell) and neurohormones (released by neurons into blood for distant
signalling)

4) Production of Hormones
Primary endocrine organs main function is to produce hormone (pineal
gland, hypothalmus, pituitary, thyroidm parathyroid, thymus, adrenal,
pancreas, ovaries, testes, placenta)
Secondary endocrine organs produce it as a secondary effect (heart,
stomach, liver, kidney, small intestine, skin)
Endocrine glands secrete hormones into the bloodstream, it travels to
a receptor
Exocrine glands secrete hormones into a specific duct
CASE STUDY: Two Days in the Life of Jill
main point was to show that body maintains homeostasis, even under
changing conditions
one day she skipped breakfast and ran, one day she ate and didnt run,

but blood pressure was basically the same

body maintains it by sensing with receptors, sending a signal to brain,
and responding