TAP reading note: Clarifying the roles of homeostasis and allostasis in physiological regulation
Ramsay and Woods examine how homeostasis and allostasis are used, arguing that understanding interacting regulatory mechanisms matters more than treating any change in a regulated value as a new kind of regulation.
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What the study found
Ramsay and Woods examine how homeostasis and allostasis are used, arguing that understanding interacting regulatory mechanisms matters more than treating any change in a regulated value as a new kind of regulation.
Scope & limitations
Conceptual analysis of physiological regulation; no single participant sample.
The paper compares regulatory theories and their terminology, emphasizing mechanistic explanation. Intervention effects and measurement performance require other study designs.
Population & sample
Conceptual analysis of physiological regulation; no single participant sample.
Exposure or intervention
Definitions of homeostasis and allostasis and the regulatory loops behind physiological responses.
Outcomes
Conceptual distinctions and implications for investigating regulation and dysregulation.
Time frame
Theoretical synthesis published in 2014; no participant follow-up.
Research funding
Not yet checked against the full publication.
Research conflicts of interest
Not yet checked against the full publication.
Reading scope
Based on the original publication’s abstract and bibliographic record. This is a selected reading note, not a systematic appraisal.
References
Publication record
TAP-RDN-0012 · v0.2 · English
The Allostasis Project is founded and supported by Resilio.
Record for v0.2 · Updated
Editorial responsibility: TAP Editorial Team
Editorial note
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