Negative Feedback Loops

645 Words2 Pages

The body is fascinating with the way it handles itself. It does so by using feedback control loops to maintain its internal environment. There are two types of living system feedback loops: the negative feedback loop and the positive feedback loop. The negative feedback loop can be defined as one of the main principles of homeostasis where the body manages to maintain its balanced internal state through a set of variable: set point, stimulus, sensor, and a response. The negative feedback loop response reduces the initial stimulus and usually causes on opposite output. On the other hand, the positive feedback loop amplifies rather than reduces. It does not have a set point, but it does have a stimulus that is external to the loop, sensor, and …show more content…

For insulin signaling, the body is able to regulate the amount of glucose it needs to use or store for the body to maintain its equilibrium. If the body receives a stimulus of high blood glucose level, the body sends this stimulus straight to the control center, the pancreas. Once it reaches the pancreas, it sends a signal to release insulin which is taken up by the effectors such as the liver or muscle to store the excess glucose as either body fats or glycogen. After this signal, the body shuts off the insulin release which results in lower the blood glucose level Another example of the negative feedback loop is maintaining the human body temperature. If the body receives a low glucose level stimulus, the pancreas ends up releasing glycogen and the liver breaks that down into glucose. A normal body temperature is about 99 degrees Fahrenheit. If the body sends a stimulus that indicates that the temperature has increased above what is normal, then the stimulus will go straight to the control center, the hypothalamus. Once the body receives this signal, it goes to the effectors such as blood vessels and sweat glands in the skin which will cause a response in which the body increases blood flow in the skin. The moment the body responds in this way, the body will begin to sweat and the body will go back to its normal temperature. If the body temperature is dropped, the stimulus goes through the same way, but the response is what changes, instead of sweating, the body

More about Negative Feedback Loops

Open Document