Anatomy and Physiology: Homeostasis and Feedback Loops

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing homeostasis, thermoregulation components, negative feedback, and positive feedback in labor based on Chapter 1-9 review questions.

Regulated variable

Body temperature in the exercise scenario.

Stimulus

The increase in body temperature during exercise in a warm room.

Thermoreceptors

Receptors located in the skin and hypothalamus that detect changes in body temperature.

Hypothalamus

The control center that receives input from thermoreceptors during body temperature regulation.

Effectors (in thermoregulation)

Sweat glands and blood vessels in the skin that carry out physiological responses to lower body temperature.

Evaporation

The mechanism by which sweating increases heat loss from the body.

Widening blood vessels

A response in the skin that allows more heat to escape to the environment.

Negative feedback

A control mechanism that reverses an initial change, such as lowering an elevated body temperature to return the body to normal and maintain balance.

Positive feedback (labor)

A feedback loop that amplifies the response by increasing contractions through oxytocin release.

End of the labor loop

The conclusion of the positive feedback cycle that occurs when the baby is born, removing the stretching stimulus on the cervix.