Synchronisation processes
Considering a biological system whose equilibrium is normally maintained through the actions of two antagonistic regulatory processes (e.g. sympathetic and parasympathetic regulation), it is characteristic of such a system that the regulation phases are in opposition to each other. For instance, in a balanced, normal situation a person relaxes mentally when he or she does hard physical exercise and vice versa. That is to say, in such a balanced state – point ‘0’ in Fig. 5 – the phases of two regulatory processes are in opposition or shifted in respect of each other by 180°. The correlation coefficient applying to these two processes tends towards the value -1. One generally assumes that it is necessary to ‘pull oneself together’ in order to attain a given achievement. According to the modus operandi of biological systems this is only possible by means of an increased expenditure of metabolic energy associated with more rapidly executing regulatory processes (left hand side of Fig. 5: short periods). As a rule, this is accompanied by the synchronisation of the regulatory processes, for maximum performance is only possible in a highly synchronised system.
Fig.: 5
States of regulation < back to ⎟ go to > Pattern of behaviour
