What type of feedback responds to changes by counteracting them, such as in blood pressure regulation?

What type of feedback responds to changes by counteracting them, such as in blood pressure regulation?

• A. Positive Feedback
• B. Negative Feedback
• C. Linear Feedback
• D. External Feedback

Answer: (B)

Negative feedback is a regulatory mechanism that helps maintain homeostasis within a biological system by counteracting changes. For example, when blood pressure rises, negative feedback mechanisms are activated to lower it back to a normal range. This typically involves the detection of changes by sensors, signaling pathways triggering responses from effectors, such as the heart or blood vessels, that bring the system back to its set point. In the case of blood pressure, if it increases, baroreceptors in the blood vessels send signals to the brain, which then activates mechanisms to decrease heart rate and dilate blood vessels, ultimately lowering the blood pressure. This reaction illustrates how negative feedback stabilizes physiological processes by opposing disturbances, ensuring that the internal environment remains relatively constant despite external changes.

Negative feedback is a regulatory mechanism that helps maintain homeostasis within a biological system by counteracting changes. For example, when blood pressure rises, negative feedback mechanisms are activated to lower it back to a normal range. This typically involves the detection of changes by sensors, signaling pathways triggering responses from effectors, such as the heart or blood vessels, that bring the system back to its set point.

In the case of blood pressure, if it increases, baroreceptors in the blood vessels send signals to the brain, which then activates mechanisms to decrease heart rate and dilate blood vessels, ultimately lowering the blood pressure. This reaction illustrates how negative feedback stabilizes physiological processes by opposing disturbances, ensuring that the internal environment remains relatively constant despite external changes.