Set 1 Flashcards
What is physiology?
The study of the normal functioning of a living organism and its component parts
What are the six levels of organization within the body?
- Molecules
- Cells
- Tissue
- Organs
- Organ Systems
- Organism
What are emergent properties?
Complex functions that cannot be predicted from the properties of the individual component parts
What are the 10 physiological organ systems?
- Integumentary
- Musculoskeletal
- Respiratory
- Digestive
- Urinary
- Immune
- Circulatory
- Nervous
- Endocrine
- Reproductive
Differentiate function and mechanism.
- Function is “why” (teleological)
- Mechanism is “how” (mechanistic)
What is homeostasis?
Maintenance of a relatively constant internal environment (input = output)
What does the failure to maintain homeostasis result in?
Illness or disease
What is the body’s internal environment?
Extracellular fluid
In the body, what is input? What is output? Which law does this reflect?
- Input: metabolism or outside environment (food)
- Output: metabolism or excretion
- Law of mass balance (input = output)
What is clearance? Which organs are responsible for clearance?
- The rate at which a material is removed from the blood by excretion, metabolism, or both
- Liver, kidneys, lungs, skin
Is steady state the same as equilibrium?
- No, steady state is dynamic, whereas equilibrium implies compositions are identical
- Homeostasis is a dynamic steady state
How are regulated variables maintained?
- They have a setpoint and a normal range
- If deviations occur, homeostatic mechanisms are set in place
Define local control.
- Simple form of control
- Restricted to the tissue or cell involved
- Ex: Blood vessels dilate when oxygen in a tissue decreases
What are the components of a simple control system?
- Input signal
- Integrating center
- Output signal
- Response
What are the three components of control systems?
- Input signal
- Integrating center
- Output signal
What are the reflex steps of a response loop?
- Stimulus
- Sensor
- Input signal
- Integrating center
- Output signal
- Target
- Response
What monitors the variable in a response loop?
Sensor
What modulates response loops?
Feedback loops
What is a negative feedback loop?
Response opposes or removes the original stimulus, which in turn stops the response loop
What is a positive feedback loop?
- Response reinforces the stimulus rather than decreasing or removing it
- Destabilizes the system until some intervention occurs to stop the loop
What is feedforward control?
Allows the body to predict that a change is about to occur and start the response loop in anticipation of the change
What are biological rhythms?
Regulated variables that change in a predictable manner
What are circadian rhythms?
Biological rhythms that coincide with light-dark cycles
Differentiate the independent and dependent variable.
- Independent: factor manipulated by the investigator
- Dependent: observed factor