How Do Organs Communicate With Each Other?

Picture this: You’re reaching into the oven to take out a tray of freshly baked cookies. As you’re pulling it out, the kitchen towel you’re using shifts, causing you to burn one of your fingers. Your initial reaction is to acknowledge the pain of the burn, but soon after, your body kicks into gear to repair the damaged skin.

As entertaining as it might be to picture one body part shouting to the other, “Oi, I’ve been burned! Increase the blood flow to limit the damage!” that’s not how organ communication occurs. Rather, your organs use their own methods of internal, nonverbal communication to ensure your body is functioning at its optimal level.

Below, we discuss three types of communication that organs use to exchange vital information and explain the importance of their continued reliable interactions.

Types of Organ Communication

Before we can fully understand how organs communicate with one another, we need to ask ourselves another critical question: How do cells within an organism communicate with each other? Given that cells are the building blocks that make up tissues and organs, it’s a logical place to start. Simply put, human cells communicate through cell chemical signaling, where molecules such as neurotransmitters, cytokines and hormones are released from one cell and accepted by another. Through chemical signaling, the body can coordinate numerous physiological processes, from repairing tissue to regulating metabolism.

Below, we explore three common internal communication methods our organs use daily.

#1 Endocrine Communication

When your body needs to communicate with organs on the other side of the body, it relies on endocrine communication. Let’s use the burn example from earlier to learn how this type of communication works.

After your skin comes into contact with the hot baking sheet, specialized nerves called nociceptors detect tissue damage and send electrical signals to your brain, signaling pain from the burn. This marks the beginning of endocrine communication.

From there, your body interprets the burn as a stressor, prompting the hypothalamus, a region in the lower forebrain, to release a corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) into the bloodstream. The CRH triggers the pituitary gland in a different part of your body to release a different hormone. In response, your adrenal glands release cortisol, which aids in stress management and decreases pain perception by reducing pain signals on the nociceptors.

#2 Paracrine Communication

When one organ needs to relay information to a nearby organ, it uses paracrine communication. This type of cell signaling happens when a cell releases a chemical that targets nearby cells or tissues to accomplish a specific task.

Let’s explore how your body uses paracrine communication once it registers the pain from the burn. Internally, your body works to reduce damage and prevent infection by starting the healing process through inflammation. To trigger inflammation, your body uses paracrine communication to signal nearby immune cells to act as first responders and release signaling molecules called cytokines. These cytokines then send messages to other cells close by, recruiting immune cells to start the inflammatory response.

#3 Autocrine Communication

Your body uses autocrine communication when organs need to send messages to themselves. That’s right, sometimes they need to alert themselves that it’s time to complete a new task. For example, once the inflammation on your hypothetical burn has subsided, it’s time for your skin cells to repair themselves by replacing damaged tissue, replacing it with fresh skin cells.

In this instance, the cells on your skin would secrete a hormone that binds to the receptors within the same cell. The result would be a change in the function of the cell, stimulating healing processes, such as cell division and protein synthesis, leading to the growth of new cells to heal the wound.

The Importance of Communication Between Organs

Of course, the communication of organs goes much deeper than the occasional first-degree kitchen burn. There are several other important functions that your body completes with the help of its specialized internal communication strategies, including:

Homeostasis

Our bodies self-regulate to maintain internal equilibrium, even when external conditions, like the temperature, fluctuate each day. This process is known as homeostasis. Organ communication plays a key role in regulating our body’s temperature, pH and nutrient levels.

For example, after eating, your blood sugar levels begin to rise. To maintain a regulated blood sugar level, the pancreas releases insulin into the bloodstream through endocrine communication. Insulin acts as a messenger, telling cells throughout the body to absorb glucose from the bloodstream to be used for later use.

Disease prevention and management

When the communication between organs deteriorates, it can contribute to the development of various health conditions. Take the insulin example from above: If the pancreas doesn’t signal for the release of insulin in a timely fashion, the body becomes more susceptible to diabetes.

Your Path to an Advanced Career in Medicine Starts at UF

Gaining a deeper understanding of how organs communicate gives the scientific community insight into how diseases work, aiding in the development of targeted treatments. Whether you’re embarking on a new career in medicine or seeking opportunities to enhance your resume for medical school applications, UF offers several online programs to support your journey toward a health-related profession:

Our programs are entirely online, so you have the flexibility to work at your own pace. We also accept students year-round, so you can start this exciting new chapter when the time is right.

When you’re ready, take the first step and apply to the medical physiology program that aligns with your career aspirations.

Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26813/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2964977/
https://journals.lww.com/pain/abstract/2019/08000/cortisol_affects_pain_sensitivity_and_pain_related.7.aspx
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3938527/
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/cytokine
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/insulin-resistance.html