29.1 How Organ Systems Communicate
KEY CONCEPT
The nervous system and the endocrine system
provide the means by which organ systems
communicate.
29.1 How Organ Systems Communicate
The body’s communication systems help maintain
homeostasis.
• A stimulus causes a response.
– Responses can be chemical, cellular, or behavioral.
– The nervous and endocrine systems respond to stimuli.
29.1 How Organ Systems Communicate
• The nervous system controls
thoughts, movement, and
emotion.
• The endocrine system controls
growth, development, and
digestion.
29.1 How Organ Systems Communicate
The nervous and endocrine systems have different
methods and rates of communication.
• The nervous system works quickly, using chemical and
electrical signals.
– interconnected network of
cells
– signals move through cells
– divided into central nervous
system (CNS) and peripheral
nervous system (PNS)
spinal
chord
nerves
29.1 How Organ Systems Communicate
• The endocrine system works more slowly.
– only chemical signals
– signals move through bloodstream
– physically unconnected organs
target cell
hormone
bloodstream
receptor
not a target cell