Endocrine System
Do not contain hormones and are released through ducts in the body compartment.
What are exocrine secretions?
A modified amino acid that contains 4 atoms of iodine. Accelerates oxidative metabolism throughout the body.
What is thyroxine?
Specialized cells designed to transmit information in the form of electrochemical signals called action potentials.
What are neurons?
Brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve.
What is the central nervous system (CNS)?
Serves as the center for reception and integration of olfactory input.
What is the olfactory lobe?
Several hormones regulating each other in a chain.
What is the feedback loop?
Stimulates muscles to remove glucose from the blood when glucose concentrations are high. Also responsible for spurring muscles and the liver to convert glucose to glycogen.
What is insulin?
Carries nerves from CNS to target tissues of the body. Includes all neurons that are not part of the CNS.
What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?
The autonomic nervous system innervates...
What are glands and smooth muscle?
Nervous impulses and sensory information are relayed and integrated en route to and from the cerebral cortex by this region.
What is the thalamus?
Hormones excreted by the posterior pituitary.
What is antidiuretic hormone (ADH)/vasopressin and oxytocin?
Location of the endocrine function of the pancreas. Also secretes glucogon.
What are the islets of Langerhans?
Regulates the involuntary functions of the body, including heart and blood vessels, the GI tract, urogenital organs, structures involved in respiration, and intrinsic eye muscles.
What is the autonomic nervous system?
System that innervates skeletal muscle and is responsible for voluntary movement, generally subject to conscious control.
What is the somatic motor nervous system?
Muscle activity is coordinated and modulated here.
What is the cerebellum?
Small, pea-like organs located on the posterior surface of the thyroid. Regulates calcium and phosphate balance in blood, bones, and other tissues.
What are parathyroid glands?
Secreted by the adrenal cortex in response to stress.
What are corticosteroids?
System that is responsible for activating the body during emergency situations and actions. It utilizes norepinephrine as its primary neurotransmitter.
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
Deactivates/slows down the activities of muscles and glands. Acetylcholine acts as the primary neurotransmitter for this system.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
Hunger, thirst, pain, temperature regulation, and water balance are visceral and homeostatic functions controlled by this center.
What is the hypothalamus?
Describe the exocrine and endorcrine functions of the pancreas.
Exocrine: secretes enzymes through ducts into the small intestine.
Endocrine: secretes hormones directly into the bloodstream.
Describe the functions of epinephrine and norepinephrine.
Epinephrine increases the conversion of glycogen to glucose in liver and muscle tissue, causing an increase in the basal metabolic rate. Both epinephrine and norepinephrine increase the rate and strength of the heartbeat, as well as dilate and constrict blood vessels. Increases blood supply to skeletal muscles, the heart, and the brain while decreasing blood supply to kidneys, skin, and digestive tract. Also known as the fight-or-flight response.
Explain the negative feedback mechanism used to maintain homeostasis.
The body senses an internal change and activates mechanisms that reverse that change.
Describe how messages can be transmitted between a neuron and a target cell.
When a neuron reaches a target cell, the axon ends in a synaptic terminal with a gap (synapse) between the neuron and target cell. The membrane potential is then converted into a neurotransmitter that is released across the synaptic cleft between the neuron and target cell. The target cell in communication with the neuron then receives the chemical signal by binding the neurotransmitter and starting a signal of its own.
Describe the functions of the cerebral cortex.
Controls all voluntary motor activity by initiating the responses of motor neurons present within the spinal cord. Also controls higher level functions.