Homeostasis: Hunger, Thirst, and Temperature

These flashcards cover key concepts related to homeostasis, hunger, thirst, temperature regulation, and related physiological theories and mechanisms.

Homeostasis

The body’s efforts to keep balance in oxygen, sugars, fats, salts, water, pH, temperature, and other components of physiology.

Set Points

Idealistic levels that the body tries to maintain.

Positive Feedback Loop

Levels lower than set point that cause actions to increase levels.

Negative Feedback Loop

Levels greater than set point that cause actions to decrease levels.

Glucostatic Theory

Theory that glucoreceptors in the hypothalamus detect blood glucose levels affecting hunger and satiety.

Lipostatic Theory

Set point theory for lipids (fats) dealing with long-term control of body weight.

Leptin

A hormone secreted by fat cells that inhibits appetite by affecting NPY neurons in the arcuate nucleus.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY)

A neurotransmitter used by neurons in the arcuate nucleus sensitive to hormones, proteins, fatty acids, and sugars.

Osmoregulation

Monitoring and regulation of the body’s water balance, involving the hypothalamus, pituitary, kidneys, and adrenal glands.

Hunger Hormone

Ghrelin, secreted in the small intestine, stomach, and pancreas, which increases hunger before meals.

Hyperthermia

Body temperature above 100° F caused by exercise, exposure, or fever.

Hypothermia

Condition where the body temperature is below 95° F and core temperature is not maintained.

Microbiome

Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi that live on and in animals, creating vitamins and helping in digestion.

Processed Foods

Foods that have undergone preservation/stability processes, often leading to increased sugar consumption.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

A measure to classify obesity, calculated as weight (Kg) / height (m) squared.

Osmoreceptors

Neurons sensitive to extracellular water concentration that send signals related to hydration status.

Thermoregulation

The process by which warm-blooded animals maintain their body temperature.