Homeostasis

Homeostasis is the regulation of the internal body conditions, such as internal body temperature, water levels and blood glucose concentration, within narrow limits.

Homeostasis uses a negative feedback system mostly - that being that when the internal body temperature is too high changes take place to decrease this temperature.

How we recognise and return back to normal changes in our system:

1. Stimulus - change in an animals surroundings, such as temperature, sound and light

2. Receptor - cells that recognise this stimulus and convert the stimulus energy into the electrical energy of nerve impulses, examples are cells in our ears and eyes

3. Sensory neuron - carries the nerve impulse from the receptor cells to the central nervous system - brain + spinal cord

4. Relay / interneuron - carries the impulse through the central nervous system

5. Motor neuron - carries the nerve impulse from the central nervous system to an effector (an effector is a muscle or gland that produces a response)

6. Effector produces a response - muscle in finger which contracts and moves the finger away from a hot object