The complex structure of the human body is currently the pinnacle of evolutionary transformation. Such a system needs special ways of coordinating. Humoral regulation is carried out with the help of hormones. But the nervous one is the coordination of activity with the help of the organ system of the same name.
What is the regulation of body functions
The human body has a very complex structure. From cells to organ systems, it is an interconnected system, for the normal functioning of which a clear regulatory mechanism must be created. It is carried out in two ways. The first way is the fastest. It's called neural regulation. This process is implemented by the system of the same name. There is an erroneous opinion that humoral regulation is carried out with the help of nerve impulses. However, this is not at all the case. Humoral regulation is carried out with the help of hormones, whichenter the body fluids.
Features of nervous regulation
This system includes a central and a peripheral department. If the humoral regulation of body functions is carried out with the help of chemicals, then this method is a "traffic highway", linking the body into a single whole. This process happens quite quickly. Just imagine that you touched a hot iron with your hand or went barefoot in the snow in winter. The reaction of the body will be almost instantaneous. It has the most important protective value, promotes both adaptation and survival in various conditions. The nervous system underlies the innate and acquired reactions of the body. The first are unconditioned reflexes. These include respiratory, sucking, blinking. And over time, a person develops acquired reactions. These are unconditioned reflexes.
Features of humoral regulation
Humoral regulation of function is carried out with the help of specialized organs. They are called glands and are combined into a separate system called the endocrine system. These organs are formed by a special type of epithelial tissue and are capable of regeneration. The action of hormones is long-term and continues throughout a person's life.
What are hormones
Glands secrete hormones. Due to their special structure, these substances accelerate or normalizevarious physiological processes in the body. For example, at the base of the brain is the pituitary gland. It produces growth hormone, as a result of which the human body increases in size for more than twenty years.
Glands: structural and functional features
So, humoral regulation in the body is carried out with the help of special organs - glands. They ensure the constancy of the internal environment, or homeostasis. Their action is in the nature of feedback. For example, such an important indicator for the body as blood sugar levels is regulated by the hormone insulin in the upper limit and glucagon in the lower. This is how the endocrine system works.
External secretion glands
Humoral regulation is carried out with the help of glands. However, depending on the structural features, these organs are combined into three groups: external (exocrine), internal (endocrine) and mixed secretion. Examples of the first group are salivary, sebaceous and lacrimal. They are characterized by the presence of their own excretory ducts. Exocrine glands secrete biologically active substances on the surface of the skin or in the cavity of the body.
Internal secretion glands
The endocrine glands secrete hormones into the blood. They do not have their own excretory ducts, sohumoral regulation is carried out with the help of body fluids. Getting into the blood or lymph, they are carried throughout the body, come to each of its cells. And the result of this is the acceleration or deceleration of various processes. This may be growth, sexual and psychological development, metabolism, the activity of individual organs and their systems.
Hypo- and hyperfunctions of the endocrine glands
The activity of each endocrine gland has "two sides of the coin." Let's look at this with specific examples. If the pituitary gland secretes an excess amount of growth hormone, gigantism develops, and with a lack of this substance, dwarfism is observed. Both are deviations from normal development.
The thyroid gland secretes several hormones at once. These are thyroxine, calcitonin and triiodothyronine. With their insufficient number, infants develop cretinism, which manifests itself in mental retardation. If hypofunction manifests itself in adulthood, it is accompanied by swelling of the mucous membrane and subcutaneous tissue, hair loss and drowsiness. If the amount of hormones of this gland exceeds the normal limit, a person may develop Graves' disease. It manifests itself in increased excitability of the nervous system, trembling of the limbs, causeless anxiety. All this inevitably leads to emaciation and loss of vitality.
The endocrine glands also include the parathyroid, thymus and adrenal glands. The last glands at the time of a stressful situation secrete the hormone adrenaline. Its presence in the bloodprovides the mobilization of all vital forces and the ability to adapt and survive in non-standard conditions for the body. First of all, this is expressed in providing the muscular system with the necessary amount of energy. The reverse-acting hormone, which is also secreted by the adrenal glands, is called norepinephrine. It is also of great importance for the body, as it protects it from excessive excitability, loss of strength, energy, and rapid wear. This is another example of the reverse action of the human endocrine system.
Glands of mixed secretion
These include the pancreas and sex glands. The principle of their work is twofold. The pancreas produces two types of hormones at once. These are insulin and glucagon. They, respectively, lower and increase the level of glucose in the blood. In a he althy human body, this regulation goes unnoticed. However, if this function is violated, a serious disease occurs, which is called diabetes mellitus. People with this diagnosis need artificial insulin administration. As an external secretion gland, the pancreas secretes digestive juice. This substance is secreted into the first section of the small intestine - the duodenum. Under its influence, there is a process of splitting complex biopolymers to simple ones. It is in this section that proteins and lipids break down into their constituent parts.
The sex glands also secrete various hormones. These are male testosterone and female estrogen. These substances begin to act even in the embryonic period. During embryonic development, sex hormones affect the formation of sex, and then form certain sexual characteristics. Like exocrine glands, they form gametes. Man, like all mammals, is a dioecious organism. Its reproductive system has a general structural plan and is represented by the gonads, their ducts and cells directly. In women, these are paired ovaries with their tracts and eggs. In men, the reproductive system consists of testes, excretory canals and sperm cells. In this case, these glands act as external secretion glands.
Nervous and humoral regulation are closely related. They work as a single mechanism. Humoral is more ancient in origin, has a long-term effect and acts on the entire body, since hormones are carried by the blood and enter every cell. And the nervous one works pointwise, at a specific time and in a specific place, according to the "here and now" principle. Once the conditions are changed, it will expire.
So, the humoral regulation of physiological processes is carried out with the help of the endocrine system. These organs are capable of releasing special biologically active substances, called hormones, into liquid media.
