Principles of control system

Dr. Isabel Hwang

Teaching and Learning Unit
School of Biomedical Sciences,
Faculty of Medicine, CUHK
14 Sep 2010
How to contact me?

Email: isabelss@cuhk.edu.hk
Msn ID: isabelhwang@hotmail.com
Office: Room 410C, BMSB, School of
Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
Phone no: 2609 6795
LECTURE OUTLINE
„ Definition of homeostasis
„ Components of a control system
„ Feedback control mechanisms
1. positive
2. negative
„ Feedforward mechanism
Homeostasis
Homeostasis 體內平衡
„ Maintenance of a stable internal environment (dynamic
constancy ) is called homeostasis.
„ Homeostasis is regulated through control systems which
have receptors 受容器 (sensors), a set point 設定點,
integrating center 整合中心 and effectors 效應器 in
common.

Examples include:
a. Homeostatic mechanisms regulate body
temperature (thermoregulation) in a manner similar to
the functioning of a home heating thermostat.
b. Another homeostatic mechanism employs pressure-
sensitive receptors to regulate blood pressure.
 External
environment
Internal
environment
Homeostatic
mechanisms
Small
fluctuations
Large
fluctuations
Homeostasis continued
„ No physiological function is constant for very long, which
is why we call them “variables”
„ Normally, blood sugar (glucose) remains at fairly steady
and predictable levels in any healthy individual
„ After a meal the level of glucose in your blood can
increase quickly
„ If you skip a meal, your blood sugar level may drop
slightly
„ Homeostatic mechanisms restore blood glucose to
normal levels in the blood
Homeostasis continued
„ Parameters are stabilized above and below a
physiological set point
Methods of Homeostatic Regulation

„ By feedback mechanisms
9 fundamental feature of
homeostasis
9 two types:
1. Negative feedback (most
common) 負回饋
2. Positive feedback 正回饋
Methods of Homeostatic Regulation
„ Negative Feedback
9 most common
9 the response of the effector opposes
or eliminates the original stimulus
9 requires frequent monitoring and
adjustment
9 decrease in body temperature leads
to responses that increase body
temperature
9 may occur at organ, cellular or
molecular level
9 other e.g. blood pressure, blood sugar
Negative feedback loops

Sensor/ receptor:

9 detects deviation from set

point

Integrating center:

9 determines response

Effector:
9 produces response
Negative feedback
„ The primary (major)
mechanism for
maintaining homeostasis

„ Has two components:

9 sensor
9 control center

„ The output of the system

dampens the original
stimulus
Negative feedback
control
An example of negative feedback:

Body temperature:
Thermoregulation
Hormonal control of blood glucose
Regulation of blood pressure
 Positive feedback
„ A mechanism for increasing the change of the internal
environment in one direction
„ Is relatively less common because the response of the
effector enhances or exaggerates the original stimulus
„ The change that occurs reinforces
the direction of the change
E.g. blood clotting,
labor contraction
„ The body maintains homeostasis using both
negative and positive feedback control
mechanisms

„ Most of the body's homeostatic controls are

negative feedback mechanisms.

„ Each individual uses homeostatic mechanisms

to keep body levels within a normal range;
normal ranges can vary from one individual to
the next.
Feedforward regulation
„ Human’s body begins preparing for a
change in some variable before it occurs
„ Anticipatory
„ Speeds up homeostatic responses and
minimizes deviations from the set point
„ Many result from or are modified by
learning
Feedforward regulation
Feedforward ≠ Feedback
Feedforward control of breathing rate in
horses trained for racing
Homeostatic imbalances

„ Lack of homeostasis
9 results in disease
and/or death

„ Decline in homeostasis
9 normal aging process
The end.