Components of Homeostatic Control System

Homeostatic Control System

- compensatory mechanism.
- activities of cells, tissues, and organs must be regulated and integrated so that any
change in Extracellular fluid initiates a reaction to correct the change. Such response
are performed by HCS.

COMPONENTS OF HCS
+ REFLEXES
- Specific, involuntary, unpremeditated, “built-in” response to a particular stimulus.
- Can be LEARNED or ACQUIRED REFLEXES.
- Subject to alteration by learning.

 REFLEX ARC
- pathway mediating a reflex.
- Sequence event linking a stimulus to response.

Stimulus - defined as a detectable change in the internal or external environment.

e.g. change in temperature, plasma potassium concentration or blood pressure.

Components of REFLEX ARC

1.) Receptor - detects the environmental change.
- stimulus acts on Receptor to produce signal that is relayed to an
integrating center.

2.) AFFERENT PATHWAY - pathway where signal travels between Receptor and
integrating center.
- “to carry to”

3.) Integrating Center - a stimulus acts upon a receptor to produce a signal that is
relayed to an integrating center.
- receiver of the signal from receptors.

4.) Effector - response is sent to the last component of the system, whose change in
activity constitutes the overall response of the system.

5.) EFFERENT PATHWAY - “to carry from”

- carry away from the integrating center.

NOTE: pathways may be neural or hormonal.

+ LOCAL HOMEOSTATIC RESPONSE
- biological response.
- initiated by a change in external or internal environment thus induce an
alteration of cell activity.
- stimulus–response sequences, but they occur only in the area of the stimulus.
- significance: is that they provide individual areas of the body with mechanisms for
local self-regulation.

NOTE: Neither nerves nor hormones are involved