Question

Your final journal of the semester is here. This one is a bit more relaxed.

One of the hopeful and apparent themes throughout the course is how all of the systems are interrelated in one way or another. No one system functions in isolation or independent of any other system.

With that said. Select any system within the body (even from A&P I) and link it to at least 2 other systems. Explain the homeostatic, endocrine, negative feedback (as appropriate) mechanisms that help to link the systems together. Discuss and shared or common organs between these systems, or functions that are shared.

Yes, I am leaving this topic kind of vague so as to allow you maximum freedom in creating your response. No need to cite your responses because this is BASED ON WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED... this question is not intended for you to research. If you do research portions of your response, then yes! You must cite that information.

Any questions, please let me know!

Answer 1

We will discuss Endocrine system, Nervous system and cardiovascular system.

First two systems interconnection:(Endocrine system & Nervous system)-

Hormones of the Hypothalamus:

The hypothalamus is highly involved in pituitary gland function. When it receives a signal from the nervous system, the hypothalamus secretes substances known as neurohormones that start and stop the secretion of pituitary hormones.  

Primary hormones secreted by the hypothalamus include:

• Anti-diuretic hormone (ADH): This hormone increases water absorption into the blood by the kidneys.
• Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH): CRH sends a message to the anterior pituitary gland to stimulate the adrenal glands to release corticosteroids, which help regulate metabolism and immune response.
• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH): GnRH stimulates the anterior pituitary to release follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), which work together to ensure normal functioning of the ovaries and testes.
• Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) or growth hormone-inhibiting hormone (GHIH) (also known as somatostain): GHRH prompts the anterior pituitary to release growth hormone (GH); GHIH has the opposite effect. In children, GH is essential to maintaining a healthy body composition. In adults, it aids healthy bone and muscle mass and affects fat distribution.
• Oxytocin: Oxytocin is involved in a variety of processes, such as orgasm, the ability to trust, body temperature, sleep cycles, and the release of breast milk.
• Prolactin-releasing hormone (PRH) or prolactin-inhibiting hormone (PIH) (also known as dopamine): PRH prompts the anterior pituitary to stimulate breast milk production through the production of prolactin. Conversely, PIH inhibits prolactin, and thereby, milk production. Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH): TRH triggers the release of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), which stimulates release of thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism, energy, and growth and development.

Interconnection between nervous system and CVS:

The regulation of the heart and peripheral circulation by the nervous system is accomplished by control centers in the medulla that receive descending input from higher neural areas in the brain and afferent input from mechanically and chemically sensitive receptors located throughout the body. The resultant changes in efferent sympathetic and parasympathetic activity allow rapid cardiovascular responses during a number of physiological perturbations including changes in posture, physical activity, temperature, altitude, and microgravity. The ability to record sympathetic nerve activity targeted to the skeletal muscle vasculature with intraneural microelectrodes has provided a powerful new tool to study fundamental mechanisms of neurocirculatory regulation in conscious human subjects. In the last three decades, microneurographic studies have shed new light on the reflex regulation of skeletal muscle sympathetic nerve activity by arterial baroreceptors, arterial chemoreceptors, and cardiopulmonary baroreceptors. In addition, microneurography is particularly well suited to study the regulation of muscle sympathetic nerve activity by skeletal muscle afferents and central neural drive (central command) during static exercise. This review highlights the experimental approaches using microneurography and some new conclusions concerning regulation of sympathetic nerve activity to the human skeletal muscle bed.

Homeostasis & Negative feedback : Explanation-

All of the organs and organ systems of the human body work together like a well-oiled machine. This is because they are closely regulated by the nervous and endocrine systems. The nervous system controls virtually all body activities, and the endocrine system secretes hormones that regulate these activities. Functioning together, the organ systems supply body cells with all the substances they need and eliminate their wastes. They also keep temperature, pH, and other conditions at just the right levels to support life processes.

Maintaining Homeostasis :

The process in which organ systems work to maintain a stable internal environment is called homeostasis. Keeping a stable internal environment requires constant adjustments. Here are just three of the many ways that human organ systems help the body maintain homeostasis:

• Respiratory system: A high concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood triggers faster breathing. The lungs exhale more frequently, which removes carbon dioxide from the body more quickly.
• Excretory system: A low level of water in the blood triggers retention of water by the kidneys. The kidneys produce more concentrated urine, so less water is lost from the body.
• Endocrine system: A high concentration of sugar in the blood triggers secretion of insulin by an endocrine gland called the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that helps cells absorb sugar from the blood.

So how does your body maintain homeostasis? The regulation of your internal environment is done primarily through negative feedback. Negative feedback is a response to a stimulus that keeps a variable close to a set value (Figure below). Essentially, it "shuts off" or "turns on" a system when it varies from a set value.

For example, your body has an internal thermostat. During a winter day, in your house a thermostat senses the temperature in a room and responds by turning on or off the heater. Your body acts in much the same way. When body temperature rises, receptors in the skin and the brain sense the temperature change. The temperature change triggers a command from the brain. This command can cause several responses. If you are too hot, the skin makes sweat and blood vessels near the skin surface dilate. This response helps decrease body temperature.

Another example of negative feedback has to do with blood glucose levels. When glucose (sugar) levels in the blood are too high, the pancreas secretes insulin to stimulate the absorption of glucose and the conversion of glucose into glycogen, which is stored in the liver. As blood glucose levels decrease, less insulin is produced. When glucose levels are too low, another hormone called glucagon is produced, which causes the liver to convert glycogen back to glucose.