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Nerves, hormones and their effects
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The body has two communication systems: nerves and hormones. Five key hormones control many processes.
Nervous and hormonal communication
Five hormones
Hormones travel in the blood
Hormones are released by endocrine glands directly into the blood.
They travel around the body but only affect target organs that respond to them.
They travel around the body but only affect target organs that respond to them.
Explain why a hormone can affect an organ a long way from the gland that made it.
- The gland releases the hormone into the blood.
- The blood carries it all around the body.
- Only the target organ responds to it.
Answer: Hormones are carried in the blood to their target organs.
Nerves use fast electrical impulses for short, precise effects. Hormones are chemicals carried in the blood with slower, longer-lasting effects. Adrenaline (adrenal glands), insulin (pancreas), testosterone (testes), oestrogen and progesterone (ovaries).
The interactive lesson includes the diagrams for this topic.
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