GCSE Biology: Homeostasis and the nervous system

Homeostasis and negative feedback, the nervous system and the reflex arc.

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What is homeostasis?
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The regulation of the internal conditions of a cell or organism to maintain optimum conditions for function, in response to internal and external change.
What are the three components that all homeostatic control systems share?
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Receptors that detect stimuli, a coordination centre that processes information, and effectors that bring about a response.
What is negative feedback in homeostasis?
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When a level rises too high or falls too low, the response acts to reverse the change and return the condition towards normal.
Information in the nervous system passes as tiny electrical impulses along ?.
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neurones
What is the pathway of a nervous impulse from stimulus to response?
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Stimulus → receptor → sensory neurone → CNS (brain/spinal cord) → motor neurone → effector → response.
What is a reflex action?
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An automatic, rapid response that does not involve the conscious part of the brain, which protects the body from harm.
A ? is the tiny gap between neurones where neurotransmitters diffuse across.
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synapse
How does an impulse cross a synapse?
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The impulse triggers the release of chemical neurotransmitters that diffuse across the gap and start a new impulse in the next neurone.
Why are reflex actions faster than conscious reactions?
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Because the signal bypasses the brain and goes directly through the spinal cord.

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