The goal of homeostasis is the maintenance of equilibrium around a specific value of some aspect of the body or its cells called a set-point. While there are normal fluctuations from the set-point, the body’s systems will usually attempt to go back to this point. A change in the internal or external environment is called a stimulus and is detected by a receptor; the response of the system is to adjust the activities of the system so the value moves back toward the set-point. For instance, if the body becomes too warm, adjustments are made to cool the animal. If glucose levels in the blood rise after a meal, adjustments are made to lower them and to get the nutrient into tissues that need it.

When a change occurs in an animal’s environment, an adjustment must be made so that the internal environment of the body and cells remains stable. The receptor that senses the change in the environment is part of a feedback mechanism. The stimulus — temperature, glucose, or calcium levels — is detected by the receptor. The receptor sends information to a control center, often the brain, which relays appropriate signals to an organ that is able to cause an appropriate change, either up or down, depending on the information the sensor was sending.