Homeostasis is the body's ongoing process of keeping internal conditions within ranges that support health. This lesson explains how the body monitors conditions and uses negative feedback to correct deviations.
A set point is the physiological value around which a condition normally fluctuates. A normal range is the restricted span of values around that point that is compatible with healthy, stable functioning. The body does not keep every condition at one perfectly fixed value; instead, conditions fluctuate within their normal ranges.
All flashcards
What is homeostasis?
The maintenance of relatively stable internal conditions within ranges that support normal body function.
How do a set point and normal range differ?
A set point is the reference value around which a condition fluctuates; the normal range is the healthy span around that point.
What are the components of a negative feedback system?
A sensor monitors and reports a value, a control center assesses it, and an effector produces a corrective change.
What is positive feedback?
A feedback pattern in which responses amplify the initial change and drive a process toward an outcome.
How does oxytocin contribute to the childbirth feedback loop?
Oxytocin strengthens uterine contractions, increasing cervical stretching and prompting further oxytocin release until birth.
Quiz questions
How does positive feedback affect an initial change?Answer: It triggers responses that intensify the change.
During labor, what effect does oxytocin have on the uterus?Answer: It strengthens contractions of uterine smooth muscle.
What event ends the cervical-stretching feedback loop during childbirth?Answer: The baby is born, ending the stretching that drives the loop.
How does the clotting process amplify its response at a damaged blood vessel?Answer: Each step stimulates the release or activation of additional clotting substances.
Why are positive feedback processes normally limited or brought to an endpoint?Answer: Uncontrolled amplification could drive a condition dangerously far from its normal range.
Based on Anatomy and Physiology 2e by J. Gordon Betts, Kelly A. Young, James A. Wise, Eddie Johnson, Brandon Poe, Dean H. Kruse, Oksana Korol, Jody E. Johnson, Mark Womble, Peter DeSaix (OpenStax), licensed CC BY 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.