THERMOREGULATION

=Thermoregulation in Humans= '''Purpose''' The human body must maintain a stable internal temperature of approximately 37°C to ensure that our enzymes don’t denature and metabolic reactions occur at an appropriate rate. Changes in our core temperature can alter the permeability of our cell membranes affecting the diffusion of substances into / out of the cell. Heat Generated + Heat Input = Heat Out Output [image:http://i.imgur.com/yNVcSSd.png?2] '''COMPONENTS''' '''1. Stimulus''' - Changes in the temperature of our external environment can cause core body temperature to rise or fall '''2. Receptors''' - Nerve endings in the skin and brain (hypothalamus) sense the external and internal body temperature respectively. '''3. Control Centre''' - The hypothalamus (part of our brain) processes signals from the thermoreceptors and signals various effectors that are used to restore the core temperature to its set point (approximately 37°C). '''4. Effectors''' - The following components are used to adjust our core temperature, compensating for the external environment and restoring our core temperature to its set point. •Skeletal Muscles •Smooth Muscle Surrounding Blood Vessels •Thyroid Hormones •Adrenaline •Piloerector Muscles •Sweat Glands '''5. Effect''' - Our core body temperature is raised / lowered back to it's set point of approximately 37°C