Video Transcript
Through a process called
homeostasis, the endocrine system helps maintain a constant internal environment in
the body. Which of the following statements
is correct? (A) The endocrine system regulates
the activity of body cells slowly and with long-lasting effects. Or (B) the endocrine system
regulates the activity of body cells rapidly and with short-term effects.
In fact, this question is asking us
how fast the endocrine system works to maintain homeostasis. As defined in the question,
homeostasis is a phenomenon that allows our body to maintain a relatively constant
internal environment. Homeostasis is a healthy state
maintained by constantly adjusting the various processes going on within the
body.
There are two major control systems
that regulate homeostasis in the body: the endocrine system and the nervous
system. There are important differences in
the way these two systems function to help maintain homeostasis. Firstly, these systems use
different messengers, chemical messengers called hormones in the endocrine system
and neurotransmitters followed by electrical impulses in the nervous system. The pathways used by these two
systems are very different too. Hormones travel around the entire
body through the blood, whereas nerve cells transmit information in the nervous
system.
Because hormones need to travel in
the blood to reach their target cells and induce an effect, this can take a long
time. In the nervous system, however, the
signals travel quickly and the response is very rapid. In the endocrine system, the
duration of the effect is usually long. It lasts until the hormone is
removed from the blood or broken down. In the nervous system, the effects
of electrical signals are usually short term.
Therefore, we can now answer our
question and select statement (A). The endocrine system regulates the
activity of body cells slowly and with long-lasting effects.
