Homeostasis - organ systems working together

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The nervous system controls the body through a complex system of nerves ramifications that send and receive signals to and from the brain. The brain and the spinal cord are considered the central nervous system and together with the peripheral nervous system or the nerves that run throughout the body compose the nervous system (Brainlink, 2007). Although the brain is the command center sending instructions and receiving feedback from the body, it is the autonomic nervous system (ANS), a part of the peripheral nervous system, the one in charge of maintaining the body's homeostasis (McCorry, 2007). It uses "an array of feedback-regulated autonomic reflexes responding to perturbations in visceral states with compensatory adjustments to restore homeostatic balance" (Berntson, Sarter & Cacioppo, n.d., para. 1) without conscious, voluntary control (McCorry, 2007). The actions of the ANS are vital to the body.

The ANS is composed of highly specialized fibers known as the parasympathetic and sympathetic systems (Gray 2000); both have a close relationship with the cardio-circulatory system. One of the ways that the ANS influences the circulatory system is through the baroreceptors. These are specialized sensory nerve ending in the carotid arteries that detect changes in the blood pressure (Gray, 2000; McCorry, 2007). These receptors are extremely important when a person changes positions or stands up from sitting or lay down. Gravity forces the blood from the upper area of the body to the legs causing a severe change in blood pressure that compromise the cardiovascular system and could make the person dizzy for the drop in blood pressure in the ...