Anatomy & Physiology Theory Final Exam Review 2026

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards for the Anatomy & Physiology Final Exam Review 2026, covering anatomical positions, tissue types, the skeletal and muscular systems, neurology, special senses, and the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems.

Anatomy

The study of the structure and shape of the body parts and their relationships to one another

Physiology

The study of how the body and its parts work or function.

Superficial

Toward the body surface

Proximal

Close to the point of attachment of a limb to the body

Distal

Farther from the attachment to the body

Deep

Away from the body surface: internal

Medial

Toward the midline of the body

Lateral

Away from the midline of the body

Posterior

Toward the back of the body

Superior

Toward the head: above

Anatomical position

Standing straight with your arms hanging at the sides with the palms facing forward

Median section

Divides the body into right and left parts

Frontal section

Divides the body into anterior and posterior parts

Transverse section

Divides the body into superior and inferior parts

Where are mucous membranes located?

Lines the walls of cavities to the outside of the body

Sebaceous glands

Oil glands

Arrector pili

Involuntary muscle attached to each hair follicle which contracts to make the hair stand up straight.

Adipose tissue

Used for insulation.

Apocrine glands

To attract the opposite sex, Axillary & genital

1st degree burn

Epidermis is the skin damaged.

2st degree burn

Epidermis and dermis is damaged

3rd degree burn

destroys all skin layers and can damage underlying tissues.

Compact bone

Dense, strong bone tissue

Spongy bone

Loose bone tissue with pockets like a sponge

Closed (simple) fractures

Closed reduction, does not break skin

Open (compound) fractures

Open reduction - often requires surgery, bone protrudes from skin

Greenstick fracture

Type of fracture that is common in children

Synarthroses

Immovable joints, for example: Sutures

Amphuathroses

Slightly moveable joints, for example: vertebrae

Diarthroses

Freely movable joints, for example: synovial joints

Fontanelles

Soft spots formed before the skull fuses

Sutures

Immovable joint

Articulations

Another word for Joint

Tendon

Connects muscle to bone

Ligament

Connects bone to bone

Skeletal muscle

Voluntary, Attached to skeleton, Striated

Smooth muscle

Involuntary, Lining the walls of hollow organs, Not striated

Cardiac muscle

Involuntary, Makes up the heart, Striated

Aerobic respiration

Process that produces $36\,\text{ATP}$, uses oxygen, is slow, and occurs in the cytoplasm and mitochondria.

Anaerobic respiration

Process that produces $2\,\text{ATP}$, doesn’t use oxygen, is fast, occurs in cytoplasm only, and uses lactic acid.

Abduction

Moving a limb away from the body

Adduction

Moving a limb toward the body

Nodes of Ranvier

Gaps on the axon between the myelinated Schwann cells.

Synaptic cleft

A gap that separates the axon terminal of one neuron from the dendrite of the connecting neuron.

Myelin

Whitish, fatty material that insulates the axon of a neuron and increases the transmission rate of nerve impulses.

Neurotransmitter

Chemicals that cross the synaptic cleft separating two neurons to stimulate an electrical impulse to continue to the next neuron.

Sympathetic NS

The system in control of the “fight or flight” response.

Central nervous system

The system made up of the brain and spinal cord

Efferent direction

The direction in which motor neurons carry electrical impulses.

Cornea

Center of the anterior of the sclera; modified so that it is clear.

Sclera

“White of the eye” outermost layer.

Iris

Regulates the amount of light that enters the eye

Retina

Innermost layer of the eye which contains photoreceptors.

Lens

Clear biconvex structure that focuses incoming light onto the retina

Ciliary body

Attaches to the lens to hold it in place behind the pupil and changes the shape of the lens to help focus images.

Tympanic membrane

It picks up the sound waves that enter the ear and starts to vibrate

Pinna

Structure that captures vibrations and funnels them towards the tympanic membrane

Sour

acidic/hydrogen ions

Sweet

sugar and artifical sweetners

Salty

sodium ions

Umami

Taste that detects specific amino acids

Bitter

bases

Blood cell responsible for the transformation of oxygen

Red blood cells

Leukocytes

Another name for white blood cells

Hemoglobin

The molecule in red blood cells responsible for the transportation of oxygen.

Arteries

Large vessels that carry blood away from the heart.

Veins

Large vessels that carry blood towards the heart.

Capillary beds

Small vessels which connect arteries and veins and where all of the exchanges take place.

Ventricles

Specialized, hollow cavities found in the heart and brain

Internal respiration

Exchange of gasses between blood and body tissues

External respiration

Exchange of gasses between blood and lung capillaries

Trachea

Also known as the Windpipe; propels mucus contaminated with dust away from the lungs to the throat.

Larynx

Also known as the Voice box; routes air and food to the proper channel and plays a role in speech.

Air passageways into the lungs from largest to smallest

Trachea, primary bronchi, secondary bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli

Which enzymes are made by the pancreas and secreted into the duodenum?

Pancreatic enzymes

Which 2 places would mechanical digestion occur in the digestive system?

The mouth and the stomach

Mechanical digestion

Physically breaks food into smaller pieces without changing its molecular structure.

Chemical digestion

Uses enzymes and acids to break the chemical bonds of food molecules, converting them into simpler, absorbable nutrients.

Peristalsis

Contraction of the two muscle layers to propel food (swallowing).

Pepsin

Enzyme responsible for the chemical digestion of protein in the stomach.

Describe the path food takes while traveling through our body.

 The gastrointestinal tract, a continuous pathway from your mouth to your anu$ that extracts nutrients and eliminates waste.

Order of food intake

Mouth-esphagus-stomach-small inestines-large intestines-rectum and anu$

Urethra

The last structure the sperm travel through before they leave the male body.

Epididymis

Where sperm are coiled and are stored

Fimbriae

Fingerlike projections that sweep over the ovaries to catch the egg as it ruptures from the ovary.

Scrotum

External sac that holds the testes

Testosterone

The male sex hormone

Estrogen and progesterone

The 2 female sex hormones