Lecture Notes: Homeostasis
Introduction to Homeostasis
- Definition: Homeostasis is the body’s ability to maintain a stable internal environment within physiological limits.
- Key parameters: Body temperature, blood glucose levels, hydration, energy balance, and growth.
- Voluntary actions: While often perceived as automatic, conscious behaviors significantly contribute to homeostasis.
Overview
- Classical homeostasis: Focus on the hypothalamus and its role in maintaining bodily equilibrium.
- Modern perspective: Exploration of less traditional aspects of homeostasis, including its connection to disorders like postpartum depression.
- Examples of homeostasis: Thermoregulation, urination, breathing, and sleep-wake cycles.
- Involvement of multiple systems: The interplay between autonomic nervous system, skeletal muscles, mood, and motivation in maintaining homeostasis.
- Historical context: Walter Cannon’s “The Wisdom of the Body” as a foundational work in homeostasis.
Hypothalamic Anatomy Thermoregulation Breathing Urination Sleep