Question

1. asthma attack: it’s a brisk morning in gym class, and your teacher sends you out to run laps around the track. at first you feel fine, but after a few minutes your chest feels tight, and each breath comes with a wheezing sound. you cough and struggle to pull in enough air. your breathing rate speeds up as your body tries to force oxygen into your lungs, but it still isn’t enough. your heart begins pounding, pumping blood faster to deliver what little oxygen is available to your muscles and brain. as carbon dioxide builds up in your blood, you begin to feel dizzy and light - headed. without quick treatment from an inhaler or medicine, the episode worsens, and your body struggles to keep up with the imbalance between oxygen and carbon dioxide.

stimulus:

receptor:

control center:

effector:

response:

body systems involved:

explanation:

Explanation:

Stimulus:

The stimulus is the physical activity (running laps) and the resulting imbalance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body due to the asthma attack, which triggers the body's response.

Receptor:

Chemoreceptors in the blood vessels and brain that detect the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. These receptors sense the change in gas levels (low oxygen, high carbon dioxide) during the asthma attack.

Control Center:

The brain (specifically the medulla oblongata, which controls involuntary functions like breathing and heart rate). It processes the information from the receptors and sends signals to effectors to adjust the body's response.

Effector:

1. Respiratory muscles (diaphragm, intercostal muscles): These muscles increase the breathing rate and depth in an attempt to get more oxygen into the lungs.
2. Heart muscles: The heart pumps faster to circulate the available oxygen to the body's tissues.

Response:

• Increased breathing rate (to try to intake more oxygen).
• Increased heart rate (to pump blood with available oxygen to muscles and brain).
• Symptoms like chest tightness, wheezing, coughing, dizziness (as the body struggles to maintain gas balance).

Body Systems involved:

1. Respiratory System: Involved in gas exchange; the asthma attack affects the airways (bronchi/bronchioles), making it hard to breathe, and the respiratory muscles work to compensate.
2. Circulatory System (Cardiovascular System): The heart pumps blood to deliver oxygen to tissues, and blood carries oxygen and carbon dioxide.
3. Nervous System: The brain (control center) and nerves transmit signals between receptors, control center, and effectors.

During the asthma attack triggered by running (stimulus), chemoreceptors (receptor) detect low O₂ and high CO₂. The brain (control center) sends signals to respiratory muscles (effector) to increase breathing and to the heart (effector) to increase heart rate. These responses (increased breathing/heart rate, along with symptoms) involve the respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems as the body tries to restore gas balance, though the asthma limits effective gas exchange, leading to worsening symptoms without treatment.

Answer:

s (summarized for each part):

• Stimulus: Running laps (physical activity) and resulting gas imbalance (low O₂, high CO₂) from asthma.
• Receptor: Chemoreceptors (detecting gas levels).
• Control Center: Brain (medulla oblongata).
• Effector: Respiratory muscles (diaphragm, intercostals) and heart muscles.
• Response: Increased breathing rate, increased heart rate, chest tightness, wheezing, coughing, dizziness.
• Body Systems involved: Respiratory, Circulatory, Nervous.
• Explanation: As above, describing the feedback loop of stimulus - receptor - control center - effector - response and system involvement.