A&P I Flashcards — Labs 1–5

Vocabulary flashcards covering anatomical foundations, body cavities and membranes, skeletal anatomy, axial and appendicular muscles, and scientific method lab tools from Labs 1–5.

Anatomy

Study of body structures.

Physiology

Study of how the body functions.

Histology

Study of tissues.

Cytology

Study of cells.

Pathology

Study of disease.

Superior

Toward the head; above.

Inferior

Toward the feet; below.

Anterior

Toward the front of the body.

Posterior

Toward the back of the body.

Proximal

Closer to the trunk or point of attachment.

Distal

Farther from the trunk or point of attachment.

Midsagittal plane

Divides the body into equal left and right halves.

Parasagittal plane

Divides the body into unequal left and right portions.

Frontal (coronal) plane

Divides the body into anterior and posterior portions.

Transverse plane

Divides the body into superior and inferior portions.

Flexion

Decreases the angle at a joint.

Extension

Increases the angle at a joint.

Abduction

Moves a body part away from the midline.

Adduction

Moves a body part toward the midline.

Pronation

Rotates the forearm so the palm faces posteriorly in anatomical position.

Supination

Rotates the forearm so the palm faces anteriorly in anatomical position.

Homeostasis

Maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment.

Negative feedback

Reverses or reduces an initial change.

Positive feedback

Amplifies an initial change until an event is completed.

Mediastinum

Central region of the thoracic cavity between the lungs; contains the heart, trachea, esophagus, and other structures.

Parietal serous membrane

Lining associated with the cavity wall.

Visceral serous membrane

Layer directly covering an organ.

RUQ contents

Liver (most of it), gallbladder, duodenum, head of pancreas, right kidney, and parts of the colon.

LUQ contents

Stomach, spleen, most of the left liver lobe, body and tail of pancreas, left kidney, and parts of the colon.

RLQ contents

Cecum, appendix, terminal ileum, parts of the small intestine, right ureter, and right ovary and uterine tube when present.

LLQ contents

Descending and sigmoid colon, parts of the small intestine, left ureter, and left ovary and uterine tube when present.

Epigastric region

Upper middle abdominal region; includes part of the stomach and other upper abdominal structures.

Umbilical region

Central abdominal region around the navel; includes portions of the small intestine and transverse colon.

Hypogastric (pubic) region

Lower middle abdominal region; includes the urinary bladder when distended and portions of the intestines.

Axial skeleton

Skull, vertebral column, ribs, sternum, hyoid bone, and auditory ossicles.

Appendicular skeleton

Limbs plus the pectoral and pelvic girdles.

Diaphysis

Shaft of a long bone.

Epiphysis

End of a long bone.

Periosteum

Connective tissue membrane covering the external bone surface except at articular surfaces.

Osteoblast

Cell that builds bone.

Osteoclast

Cell that breaks down bone.

Osteocyte

Mature bone cell that maintains bone tissue.

Ligament

Connects bone to bone.

Tendon

Connects muscle to bone.

Foramen magnum

Large opening in the occipital bone through which the spinal cord passes.

Atlas (C1)

First cervical vertebra; supports the skull and participates in the nodding movement.

Axis (C2)

Second cervical vertebra; its dens allows rotation of the head.

Dens

Projection of C2 that acts as a pivot for head rotation.

True ribs

Ribs 1–7; attach directly to the sternum through their own costal cartilage.

Vertebrochondral ribs

Ribs 8–10; attach indirectly to the sternum through the cartilage of the rib above.

Floating ribs

Ribs 11–12; have no anterior attachment to the sternum.

Glenoid cavity

Shallow scapular socket that articulates with the head of the humerus.

Acetabulum

Socket of the hip bone that receives the femoral head.

Tibial tuberosity

Anterior tibial projection where the patellar ligament attaches.

Calcaneus

Heel bone.

Talus

Tarsal bone that articulates with the tibia and fibula at the ankle.

Sternocleidomastoid

Flexes the neck bilaterally and rotates the head to the opposite side unilaterally.

Diaphragm (muscle)

Primary muscle of inspiration.

Rectus abdominis

Flexes the trunk and compresses abdominal contents.

Deltoid

Primarily abducts the arm; anterior fibers flex and medially rotate, posterior fibers extend and laterally rotate.

Biceps brachii

Flexes the elbow and supinates the forearm.

Triceps brachii

Extends the elbow.

Quadriceps femoris group

Primary knee extensors; includes rectus femoris and the three vasti.

Hamstrings group

Generally flexes the knee and extends the hip.

Agonist

Prime mover; main muscle responsible for an action.

Antagonist

Muscle that opposes a particular action.

Synergist

Muscle that assists the agonist.

Fixator

Muscle that stabilizes a bone or the origin of another muscle.

Independent variable

Variable deliberately changed by the researcher.

Dependent variable

Variable measured as the outcome.

Controlled variable

Factor kept constant during an experiment.

Accuracy

Closeness of a measurement to the true or accepted value.

Precision

Closeness of repeated measurements to each other.

Total magnification

Eyepiece magnification multiplied by objective magnification.

Spectrophotometer

Instrument that measures light absorbance or transmission at selected wavelengths.

Blank in spectrophotometry

Reference used to zero the instrument or account for background absorbance.