Anatomy and Physiology Flashcards

Key vocabulary terms with definitions from the Anatomy and Physiology video lecture notes.

Directional Terms

describe the positions of structures relative to other structures or locations in the body.

Superior or cranial

Toward the head end of the body; upper (example, the hand is part of the superior extremity).

Inferior or caudal

Away from the head; lower (example, the foot is part of the inferior extremity)

Anterior or ventral

front (example, the kneecap is located on the anterior side of the leg)

Posterior or dorsal

back (example, the shoulder blades are located on the posterior side of the body)

Medial

toward the midline of the body (example, the middle toe is located at the medial side of the foot)

Lateral

away from the midline of the body (example, the little toe is located at the lateral side of the foot).

Proximal

toward or nearest the trunk or the point of origin of a part (example, the proximal end of the femur joins with the pelvic bone).

Distal

away from or farthest from the trunk or the point or origin of a part (example, the hand is located at the distal end of the forearm)

Coronal Plane (Frontal Plane)

A vertical plane running from side to side; divides the body or any of its parts into anterior and posterior portions.

Sagittal Plane (Lateral Plane)

A vertical plane running from front to back; divides the body or any of its parts into right and left sides.

Axial Plane (Transverse Plane)

A horizontal plane; divides the body or any of its parts into upper and lower parts.

Median plane

Sagittal plane through the midline of the body; divides the body or any of its parts into right and left halves.

Body Cavaties

the cavities, or spaces, of the body contain the internal organs, or viscera.

Thoracic cavity

the upper ventral, thoracic, or chest cavity contains the heart, lungs, trachea, esophagus, large blood vessels, and nerves.

Abdominal cavity

contains most of the gastrointestinal tract as well as the kidneys and adrenal glands.

Pelvic cavity

contains most of the urogenital system as well as the rectum.

Dorsal cavity

contains organs lying more posterior in the body

Cranial cavity

upper portion of the dorsal cavity that houses the brain

Vertebral canal

lower portion of the dorsal cavity that houses the spinal cord

Cells

consists of cytoplasm enclosed within a membrane, which contains many bimolecular such as proteins and nucleic acids.

Plasma membrane or Cell Membrane

a structure called the cell membrane which much like the walls of a house, serves as a clear boundary between the cell's internal and external environments.

Phospholipids

Physically prevent water-loving, or hydrophilic, substances from entering or escaping the cell

Eukaryotic cells

cells that contain a nucleus

Prokaryotic cells

cells which dont have nucleus and membrane-bound organelles

Cell envelope

Enclosing the cell, generally consisting of a plasma membrane covered by a cell wall which, for some bacteria, may be further covered by a third layer called a capsule.

Genome (DNA)

genetic material found in the cytoplasm

Plasmids

Extra chromosomal DNA elements usually circular

Centrosome

Produce the micro tubules of a cell-a key component of the cytoskeleton

Semi permeable

It can either let a substance molecule or ion pass through freely, pass through to a limited extent or not pass through at all.

Cell division

The process by which new cells are formed for growth, repair, and replacement in the body. This process includes division of the nuclear material and division of the cytoplasm.

Simple diffusion

movement of particles (solutes) from a region of higher solute concentration to a region of lower solute concentration.

Osmosis

the diffusion of solvent or water molecules through a selectively permeable membrane.

Filtration

utilizes pressure to push substances through a membrane.

Active transport

moves substances against a concentration gradient from a region of lower concentration to a region of higher concentration. It requires a carrier molecule and uses energy.

Endocytosis

the formation of vesicles to transfer particles and droplets from outside to inside the cell.

Exocytosis

Secretory vesicles are moved from the inside to the outside of the cell.

Tissue

a group of cells that have similar structure and that function together as a unit.

Epithelial tissues

form the covering of all body surfaces, line body cavities and hollow organs, and are the major tissue in glands

Connective tissues

bind structures together, form a framework and support for organs and the body as a whole, store fat, transport substances, protect against disease, and help repair tissue damage

Muscle tissue

composed of cells that have the special ability to shorten or contract in order to produce movement of the body parts.

Nervous tissue

found in the brain, spinal cord, and nerves. It is responsible for coordinating and controlling many body activities.

Body membranes

thin sheets of tissue that cover the body, line body cavities, and cover organs within the cavities in hollow organs.

Pectoral girdle

connects the upper limb (arm) bones to the axial skeleton and consists of the left and right clavicles and left and right scapulae.

Pelvic Girdle

Connects the lower limb (leg) bones to the axial skeleton.

Long bones

Bones that are longer than they are wide and are the major bones of the limbs and are responsible for the bulk of our height as adults

Short bones

Bones that are about as long as they are wide and are often cubed or round in shape

Flat bones

vary greatly in size and shape, but have the common feature of being very thin in one direction

Irregular bones

Have a shape that does not fit the pattern of the long, short, or flat bones.

Sesamoid Bones

Formed after birth inside of tendons that run across joints. They grow to protect the tendon from stresses and strains at the joint and can help to give a mechanical advantage to muscles pulling on the tendon.

Synarthroses

Immovable joints.

Amphiarthroses

Slightly movable joints.

Diarthroses

Most joints in the adult body;freely movable joints.

Muscular system

muscles connect to bones or internal organs and blood vessels and are responsible for movement

Visceral muscle

Found inside of organs like the stomach, intestines, and blood vessels. The weakest of all muscle tissues, visceral muscle makes organs contract to move substances through the organ

Cardiac Muscle

found only in the heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout the body

Skeletal Muscle

the only voluntary muscle tissue in the human body and is controlled consciously.

Sarcolemma

the cell membrane of muscle fibers and acts as a conductor for electrochemical signals that stimulate muscle cells.

Transverse tubules (T-tubules)

help carry electrochemical signals into the middle of the muscle fiber.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum

A storage facility for calciumions (Ca2+) that are vital to muscle contraction

Myofibrils

the contractile structures of the cell

Sarcomere

the functional unit of muscle fibers.

Thick filaments

made of many bonded units of the protein myosin. Myosin is the protein that causes muscles to contract.

Thin filaments

comprised of actin, tropomyosin,and troponin

Actin

forms a helical structure that makes up the bulk of the thin filament mass and contains myosin-binding sites that allow myosin to connect to and move actin during muscle contraction.

Tropomyosin

a long protein fiber that wraps around actin and covers the myosin binding sites on actin

Troponin

bound very tightly to tropomyosin, troponin moves tropomyosin away from myosin binding sites during muscle contraction.

Isometric Contractions

light contractions that increase the tension in the muscle without exerting enough force to move a body part

Isotonic contraction

Contraction that causes the muscle to extend, resulting in movement

Muscle Tone

A natural condition in which a skeletal muscle stays partially contracted at all times.

Motor Neurons

Nerve cells controlling the skeletal muscles

Motor Units

is a group of several muscle cells that are controlled by each motor neuron

Neuromuscular Junctions (NMJ)

contact muscle cells (the motor end plate) and release neurotransmitter chemicals to bond to the membrane to control the skeletal muscles.

Twitch contraction

cause the motor unit to contract briefly before relaxing

Isometric contraction

small contractions that increase the tension in the muscle without exerting enough force to move a body part

isotonic contraction

a contraction that does produce movement

Tetanus

a muscle enters the state of complete and lasting contraction

Blood vessels

the body's highways that allow blood to flow quickly and efficiently from the heart to every region of the body and back again.

Blood

The liquid connective tissue that transports many substances through the body and helps to maintain homeostasis of nutrients, wastes, and gases.

Platelets or Thrombocytes

Small cell fragments responsible for the clotting of blood and the formation of scabs

Cardiovascular system

transports oxygen, nutrients, hormones, and cellular waste products throughout the body

spleen

stores blood

Pulmonary circulation

transport deoxygenated blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs, where the blood picks up oxygen and returns to the left side of the heart.

Systemic Circulation

carries highly oxygenated blood from the left side of the heart to all of the tissues of the body

Arteries

Carry oxygenated blood away from the heart

Arterioles

Branch off from the ends of arteries and carry blood to capillaries.

Capillaries

Smallest and thinnest of the blood vessels in the body and also the most common.

Precapillary sphincters

regulate blood flow into the capillaries

Veins

large return vessels of the body and act as the blood return counterparts of arteries.

Venules

small vessels that connect capillaries, but unlike arterioles, venules connect to veins instead of arteries.

Lymphatic System

transports lymph, a fluid containing infection-fighting white blood cells, throughout the body.

Lymph

clear and colorless fluid; the word lymph comes from the Latin word lympha, which means connected to water

Tonsils

the body's first line of defense as part of the immune system. They sample bacteria and viruses that enter the body through the mouth or nose

Lymphatic system

regulates the blood as it passes through the various capillaries, vessels, and nodes.

External Respiration

The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between an animal and its environment.

Internal Respiration

the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between blood and cells in different tissues of an animal's body.

Cellular Respiration

Consists of many separate enzymatic reaction

Intramembranous ossification

the replacement of sheet-like connective tissue membranes with bony tissue. Bones formed in this manner include certain flat bones of the skull and some of the irregular bones.

Endochondral Ossification

involves the replacement of hyaline cartilage with bony tissue and first formed as hyaline cartilage models and most of the bones of the skeleton are formed in this manner.

rectus abdominis

Muscles whose fibers run straight up and down