1.6: Homeostasis

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the role of homeostasis in healthy functioning
• Contrast negative and positive feedback, giving one physiologic example of each mechanism

Maintaining homeostasis requires that the body continuously monitor its internal conditions. From body temperature to blood pressure to levels of certain nutrients, each physiological condition has a particular set point. A set point is the physiological value around which the normal range fluctuates. A normal range is the restricted set of values that is optimally healthful and stable.

For example, the set point for normal human body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F) Physiological parameters, such as body temperature and blood pressure, tend to fluctuate within a normal range a few degrees above and below that point. Control centers in the brain and other parts of the body monitor and react to deviations from homeostasis using negative feedback. Negative feedback is a mechanism that reverses a deviation from the set point. Therefore, negative feedback maintains body parameters within their normal range. The maintenance of homeostasis by negative feedback goes on throughout the body at all times, and an understanding of negative feedback is thus fundamental to an understanding of human physiology.

Negative Feedback

A negative feedback system has three basic components (Figure \(\PageIndex{1.a}\)). A sensor, also referred to a receptor, is a component of a feedback system that monitors a physiological value. This value is reported to the control center. The control center is the component in a feedback system that compares the value to the normal range. If the value deviates too much from the set point, then the control center activates an effector. An effector is the component in a feedback system that causes a change to reverse the situation and return the value to the normal range.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Negative feedback loop. In a negative feedback loop, a stimulus—a deviation from a set point—is resisted through a physiological process that returns the body to homeostasis. (a) A negative feedback loop has four basic parts. (b) Body temperature is regulated by negative feedback.

In order to set the system in motion, a stimulus must drive a physiological parameter beyond its normal range (that is, beyond homeostasis). This stimulus is “heard” by a specific sensor. For example, in the control of blood glucose, specific endocrine cells in the pancreas detect excess glucose (the stimulus) in the bloodstream. These pancreatic beta cells respond to the increased level of blood glucose by releasing the hormone insulin into the bloodstream. The insulin signals skeletal muscle fibers, fat cells (adipocytes), and liver cells to take up the excess glucose, removing it from the bloodstream. As glucose concentration in the bloodstream drops, the decrease in concentration—the actual negative feedback—is detected by pancreatic alpha cells, and insulin release stops. This prevents blood sugar levels from continuing to drop below the normal range.

Humans have a similar temperature regulation feedback system that works by promoting either heat loss or heat gain (Figure \(\PageIndex{1.b}\)). When the brain’s temperature regulation center receives data from the sensors indicating that the body’s temperature exceeds its normal range, it stimulates a cluster of brain cells referred to as the “heat-loss center.” This stimulation has three major effects:

• Blood vessels in the skin begin to dilate allowing more blood from the body core to flow to the surface of the skin allowing the heat to radiate into the environment.
• As blood flow to the skin increases, sweat glands are activated to increase their output. As the sweat evaporates from the skin surface into the surrounding air, it takes heat with it.
• The depth of respiration increases, and a person may breathe through an open mouth instead of through the nasal passageways. This further increases heat loss from the lungs.

In contrast, activation of the brain’s heat-gain center by exposure to cold reduces blood flow to the skin, and blood returning from the limbs is diverted into a network of deep veins. This arrangement traps heat closer to the body core and restricts heat loss. If heat loss is severe, the brain triggers an increase in random signals to skeletal muscles, causing them to contract and producing shivering. The muscle contractions of shivering release heat while using up ATP. The brain triggers the thyroid gland in the endocrine system to release thyroid hormone, which increases metabolic activity and heat production in cells throughout the body. The brain also signals the adrenal glands to release epinephrine (adrenaline), a hormone that causes the breakdown of glycogen into glucose, which can be used as an energy source. The breakdown of glycogen into glucose also results in increased metabolism and heat production.

Positive Feedback

Positive feedback intensifies a change in the body’s physiological condition rather than reversing it. A deviation from the normal range results in more change, and the system moves farther away from the normal range. Positive feedback in the body is normal only when there is a definite end point. Childbirth and the body’s response to blood loss are two examples of positive feedback loops that are normal but are activated only when needed.

Childbirth at full term is an example of a situation in which the maintenance of the existing body state is not desired. Enormous changes in the mother’s body are required to expel the baby at the end of pregnancy. And the events of childbirth, once begun, must progress rapidly to a conclusion or the life of the mother and the baby are at risk. The extreme muscular work of labor and delivery are the result of a positive feedback system (Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)).

Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Positive feedback loop. Normal childbirth is driven by a positive feedback loop. A positive feedback loop results in a change in the body’s status, rather than a return to homeostasis.

The first contractions of labor (the stimulus) push the baby toward the cervix (the lowest part of the uterus). The cervix contains stretch-sensitive nerve cells that monitor the degree of stretching (the sensors). These nerve cells send messages to the brain, which in turn causes the pituitary gland at the base of the brain to release the hormone oxytocin into the bloodstream. Oxytocin causes stronger contractions of the smooth muscles in of the uterus (the effectors), pushing the baby further down the birth canal. This causes even greater stretching of the cervix. The cycle of stretching, oxytocin release, and increasingly more forceful contractions stops only when the baby is born. At this point, the stretching of the cervix halts, stopping the release of oxytocin.

A second example of positive feedback centers on reversing extreme damage to the body. Following a penetrating wound, the most immediate threat is excessive blood loss. Less blood circulating means reduced blood pressure and reduced perfusion (penetration of blood) to the brain and other vital organs. If perfusion is severely reduced, vital organs will shut down and the person will die. The body responds to this potential catastrophe by releasing substances in the injured blood vessel wall that begin the process of blood clotting. As each step of clotting occurs, it stimulates the release of more clotting substances. This accelerates the processes of clotting and sealing off the damaged area. Clotting is contained in a local area based on the tightly controlled availability of clotting proteins. This is an adaptive, life-saving cascade of events.

Related Testing

A patient's vital signs (blood pressure, core body temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation) are the first measurement indicating if there is a homeostatic imbalance. A basic metabolic panel is a quick blood test to show electrolyte disturbances, if present, to guide diagnosis and treatment. Measurement of the inorganic ions, kidney function (BUN/Creatinine ratio), and glucose enable us to fix those abnormalities as well as the underlying cause.

Pathophysiology

Homeostasis underlies many, if not all, disease processes. Diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and atherosclerosis, involve both the disturbance of homeostasis, as well as the presence of inflammation.[2] The loss of receptor sensitivity with age increases the risk of illness as an unstable internal environment is allowed to exist.[9] Older individuals are more susceptible to temperature dysregulation and have impaired thirst mechanisms, which contribute to the elevated risk of dehydration seen in this population. Acid-base imbalances underlie acid-base disorders and electrolyte abnormalities that exist from a plethora of medical conditions or medication side effects. Additionally, water balance in terms of fluid maintenance is crucial as not to overload the patient, or under-hydrate the patient's cells. Overload would be detrimental to a person with underlying cardiovascular or respiratory conditions. Thus, an individualized approach is necessary to correct a patient's fluid balance, especially in surgical patients.[10] 

The setpoint must confine itself to a strict range in certain body functions, but it is not necessarily static in others. For example, deviation of arterial blood gas values from the accepted range would be detrimental to a living system. However, when the body is deprived of food, a 'new normal' must be adjusted to function with less energy and a slower metabolism rate.[9] Without this adaptation, the body's cells would be deprived of the needed nutrients and would die quickly, which is not the case, as a living organism can survive on less intake as long as the energy can be maintained. Disruption in thermoregulation could lead to hypothermia if the body's core temperature falls below the threshold for optimal cellular functioning, or hyperthermia if the body's core temperature exceeds the highest. Fever is another example of how the setpoint can increase without necessarily killing the individual.[2] An increase in core body temperature is necessary to fight off an invader, but in the case of hyperthermia, the adaptive function of temperature has failed, and the setpoint is unable to return to normal.

Clinical Significance

All in all, every medical condition can be traced back to failure at some point in the homeostatic control system, whether it be in the inability to detect the initial external change, failure of initiating a feedback loop, failure to enact a response to return to the setpoint, or failure in the setpoint itself. The goal of the health care provider must be to restabilize the internal milieu of the body without causing further harm and to do so promptly to avoid the death of cells from dysregulation, and irreparable failure of organ systems.

Review Questions 

Water concentration in the body is critical for proper functioning. A person’s body retains very tight control on water levels without conscious control by the person. Which organ has primary control over the amount of water in the body?

Answer:

The kidneys

Homeostasis is the activity of cells throughout the body to maintain the physiological state within a narrow range that is compatible with life. Homeostasis is regulated by negative feedback loops and, much less frequently, by positive feedback loops. Both have the same components of a stimulus, sensor, control center, and effector; however, negative feedback loops work to prevent an excessive response to the stimulus, whereas positive feedback loops intensify the response until an end point is reached.

Q. After you eat lunch, nerve cells in your stomach respond to the distension (the stimulus) resulting from the food. They relay this information to           .

A. a control center

B. a set point

C. effectors

D. sensors

Answer:

A

Q. Stimulation of the heat-loss center causes      ?      .

A. blood vessels in the skin to constrict

B. breathing to become slow and shallow

C. sweat glands to increase their output

D. All of the above

Answer:

C

Q. Which of the following is an example of a normal physiologic process that uses a positive feedback loop?

A. blood pressure regulation

B. childbirth

C. regulation of fluid balance

D. temperature regulation

Answer:

B

Critical Thinking Questions

Q. Identify the four components of a negative feedback loop and explain what would happen if secretion of a body chemical controlled by a negative feedback system became too great.

A. The four components of a negative feedback loop are: stimulus, sensor, control center, and effector. If too great a quantity of the chemical were excreted, sensors would activate a control center, which would in turn activate an effector. In this case, the effector (the secreting cells) would be adjusted downward.

Q. What regulatory processes would your body use if you were trapped by a blizzard in an unheated, uninsulated cabin in the woods?

A. Any prolonged exposure to extreme cold would activate the brain’s heat-gain center. This would reduce blood flow to your skin, and shunt blood returning from your limbs away from the digits and into a network of deep veins. Your brain’s heat-gain center would also increase your muscle contraction, causing you to shiver. This increases the energy consumption of skeletal muscle and generates more heat. Your body would also produce thyroid hormone and epinephrine, chemicals that promote increased metabolism and heat production.

Glossary

control center

compares values to their normal range; deviations cause the activation of an effector

effector

organ that can cause a change in a value

negative feedback

homeostatic mechanism that tends to stabilize an upset in the body’s physiological condition by preventing an excessive response to a stimulus, typically as the stimulus is removed

normal range

range of values around the set point that do not cause a reaction by the control center

positive feedback

mechanism that intensifies a change in the body’s physiological condition in response to a stimulus

sensor

(also, receptor) reports a monitored physiological value to the control center

set point

ideal value for a physiological parameter; the level or small range within which a physiological parameter such as blood pressure is stable and optimally healthful, that is, within its parameters of homeostasis

Contributors and Attributions

• OpenStax Anatomy & Physiology (CC BY 4.0). Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology

• "Physiology, Homeostasis" by Sabrina Libretti; Yana Puckett. is licensed under CC BY 4.0