A&P 1 Starter Pack Vocabulary

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering basic terminology, levels of organization, feedback loops, body planes, directional terms, cavities, and tissue types from A&P 1.

Anatomy

The study of the body's structures, focusing on what body parts are and where they are located.

Physiology

The study of the body's functions, focusing on what body parts do and how they work together.

Chemical Level

The level of body organization where atoms and molecules combine to form larger molecules.

Cellular Level

The level of body organization where cells act as the basic units of life.

Tissue Level

The level of body organization consisting of groups of similar cells that work together to perform a specific function.

Organ Level

The level of body organization made of two or more different types of tissues working together to perform a specific job.

Organ System Level

The level of body organization consisting of groups of organs that work together to carry out major functions in the body.

Organism Level

The level of body organization representing the complete living individual where all organ systems work together to maintain life.

Homeostasis

The body's ability to maintain a stable internal environment, even when the outside environment changes.

Receptor

A homeostatic control component that detects a change or stimulus in a variable.

Control Center

A homeostatic control component, such as the brain, spinal cord, or endocrine glands, that processes information and determines the response.

Effector

A homeostatic control component, such as muscles or glands, that carries out the response to alter or correct a change.

Negative Feedback Loop

The most common feedback mechanism that maintains homeostasis by reversing the original change to return a variable toward its normal range.

Positive Feedback Loop

A feedback mechanism that amplifies and reinforces the original change until a specific endpoint is reached.

Anatomical Position

The universal reference position where a person stands upright, eyes and head facing forward, arms at sides, thumbs pointing outward, palms facing forward, and feet flat shoulder-width apart with toes pointing forward.

Sagittal Plane

An anatomical plane that divides the body into right and left portions.

Midsagittal Plane

An anatomical plane that divides the body into equal right and left halves.

Parasagittal Plane

An anatomical plane that divides the body into unequal right and left portions.

Frontal Plane

An anatomical plane that divides the body into a front half and a back half; also known as the coronal plane.

Transverse Plane

An anatomical plane that divides the body into top and bottom halves.

Superior

Directional term meaning above another body part.

Inferior

Directional term meaning below another body part.

Cranial

Directional term meaning toward the head.

Caudal

Directional term meaning toward the tail or coccyx.

Medial

Directional term meaning closer to the body's midline.

Lateral

Directional term meaning farther from the body's midline.

Proximal

Directional term meaning closer to the trunk or point of attachment.

Distal

Directional term meaning farther from the trunk or point of attachment.

Superficial

Directional term meaning closer to the body's surface.

Deep

Directional term meaning farther from the body's surface.

Anterior (Ventral)

Directional term meaning toward the front of the body.

Posterior (Dorsal)

Directional term meaning toward the back of the body.

Dorsal Body Cavity

The fluid-filled space containing the cranial cavity and vertebral cavity.

Ventral Body Cavity

The fluid-filled space containing the thoracic cavity and abdominopelvic cavity.

Epithelial Tissue

A tissue type that covers and lines body surfaces and cavities, characterized by tightly packed cells and no blood vessels.

Connective Tissue

A tissue type that supports, connects, protects, and binds other tissues and organs, characterized by widely spaced cells.

Muscle Tissue

A tissue type packed with contractile proteins that contracts to create movement.

Nervous Tissue

A tissue type made of neurons that detects changes, processes information, and sends electrical signals throughout the body.