BRAINCAKEThe Hypothalamus
There are two thermoregulatory centres in the hypothalamus: the heat loss centre and the heat gain centre.
The heat loss centre is activated when the temperature of blood flowing through the hypothalamus increases. Impulses are sent to the skin and muscles through the autonomic nervous system.
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Key terms in this lesson
- Hypothalamus
- A region of the brain that regulates body temperature, water balance and other homeostatic processes, and controls the pituitary gland.
- Effector
- A muscle or gland that brings about a response to a stimulus.
- Autonomic nervous system
- The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls involuntary functions such as those of cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and glands.
More in Homeostasis
- Endotherms and Ectotherms
- Behavioural Responses in Ectotherms
- Physiological Responses in Ectotherms
- Thermoreceptors
- Cooling
- Warming Up
- Excretion
- The Liver
All 33 lessons in Homeostasis · All OCR A-level Biology topics