Elevated Body Temperature & Homeostatic Feedback - Bioscience 1 401002

This assignment provides a detailed explanation of the homeostatic feedback system activated in response to elevated body temperature. It describes the roles of the stimulus, receptors, control center (hypothalamus), effectors (sweat glands and blood vessels), and the subsequent response in maintaining a stable internal body temperature. The process involves thermoreceptors signaling the hypothalamus, which then triggers vasodilation and sweat production to dissipate heat. As body temperature returns to normal, the regulatory mechanisms decrease activity, demonstrating negative feedback. The assignment also highlights the importance of homeostasis regulation for proper body function, referencing conditions that may arise from its dysregulation. Desklib offers a wealth of resources for students, including similar solved assignments and study materials.

Describe the homeostatic feedback system (i.e. stimulus- receptors- control center-
e ectors- response, series of steps) that would be activated in response to elevated bodyff
temperature.
Homeostasis is the tendency to acquire a state of equilibrium between two or more
interdependent elements, especially so as to maintain physiological processes (Solomon, 2015).
Therefore, the homeostatic feedback system or homeostatic regulation is the adjustment of
physiological systems in the human body to maintain homeostasis. Homeostatic regulation
applies two mechanisms which are: autoregulation or intrinsic regulation and the extrinsic
regulation. The former occurs when the organs or tissue of the body adjust automatically to the
changes in the environment. In extrinsic regulation two organs system that controls or adjust the
activities of many systems such as the endocrine system are involved. The homeostatic
regulation tries to maintain the body internal environment within certain limits. There are three
parts of the regulatory mechanism; A receptor that is sensitive to change in environment or
stimulus, a control center which receives information from the receptor and processes it and
thirdly the effector which receives the commands of the control center.
Therefore, in the case of elevated temperature, the body will try to maintain the temperature
within the normal range of 35.5-37 degrees Celsius. The hypothalamus is the control center for
thermoregulation. When the temperature rises above normal the thermoreceptors will send a
signal to the control center which will target the sweat glands and tissues of muscles in the walls
of the blood vessels supplying the skin (effectors) (Solomon, 2015). The muscles relax and the
blood vessels dilate thus allowing increase in blood flow near the skin surface and by so doing
heat is lost to the environment. The sweat pores too will open as the sweat glands are also
activated via the cholinergic sympathetic nerves to produce sweat. As the sweat escapes through

the sweat pores the skin will be acting as a radiator by losing the excess heat to the environment.
As the temperature gets to normal the thermoregulatory center gets less active thus reducing the
activity of the sweat glands and superficial blood vessels (Rankin, 2017). This is known as
negative feedback and it helps maintain a normal range of the body internal environment.
Homeostasis regulation is therefore of importance so as to ensure proper functioning of the
body organs. For example, if the body is unable to regulate the temperature within the normal
range and there is fever, it could be an indication of infection such as Kawasaki disease or
intracranial hemorrhage or a defect with the hypothalamus.

References
Rankin, J. (2017). Physiology in childbearing: with anatomy and related biosciences. Elsevier
Health Sciences.
Solomon, E. P. (2015). Introduction to Human Anatomy and Physiology-E-Book. Elsevier Health
Sciences.