The roles of the nervous and endocrine systems in controlling water balance
I can describe the roles of the nervous and endocrine systems in controlling water balance in the human body.
The roles of the nervous and endocrine systems in controlling water balance
I can describe the roles of the nervous and endocrine systems in controlling water balance in the human body.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Receptors in the hypothalamus detect changes in the amount of water in the blood plasma.
- When there is too little water, the pituitary gland secretes a hormone called ADH.
- ADH increases the permeability of the kidney tubules so more water is reabsorbed into the blood plasma.
- When there is too much water, the pituitary gland secretes less ADH and less water is reabsorbed in the kidneys.
- Drinking alcohol causes less ADH to be produced, so urine becomes more dilute and this can cause dehydration.
Keywords
Hypothalamus - Part of the brain that controls our internal environment, including water balance and body temperature.
Gland - An organ or tissue that produces and secretes substances, such as hormones.
Hormone - A chemical substance produced by a gland that travels in the bloodstream to a specific target organ.
ADH - Anti-diuretic hormone, secreted by the pituitary gland, which increases the permeability of the kidney tubules.
Common misconception
Understanding how kidney filtration is controlled is complex, multifaceted and involves fairly obscure parts of the body so there is a lot of new content in this topic.
The parts of the process are broken down into individual steps, introduced with care and supporting illustrations, checked, reviewed and backed up with reinforcing tasks.
Equipment
None required.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Lesson video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
Exit quiz
6 Questions
transports blood around the body
uses hormones as chemical messengers
transmits impulses along neurones
