Body Systems

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from lecture notes on body systems, including the cardiovascular, central nervous, and respiratory systems.

Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system's primary function is to transport nutrients to cells and waste products away from cells. This system consists of the heart, blood, and blood vessels.

Circulation

Provides the transportation route to all tissues in the body through a highly intricate blood vessel network made of arteries, veins, and capillaries.

Hepatic Portal Vein

Nutrients absorbed in the small intestine travel mainly to the liver through this vein.

Capillaries

Small blood vessels with a reduced diameter that slows blood flow, giving cells time to harvest nutrients and exchange metabolic wastes.

Plasma

The liquid part of blood, about 78% water and 22% solids by volume; mostly water (95%) but also contains proteins, ions, glucose, lipids, vitamins, minerals, waste products, gases, enzymes, and hormones.

Central Nervous System

Consists of the brain, spinal cord, and other nerve bundles in the body. Its primary function is to sense changes in the external environment and create a reaction to them.

Neurons

Form the core of the central nervous system; the human brain contains over one hundred billion neurons.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals built from amino acids that nerves use to communicate with each other.

Brain Fuel

The brain's primary fuel is glucose, and it uses 20% of the body's fuel, even though it only makes up 2% of the body's weight.

Myelin Sheath

Cholesterol is necessary for the formation of this, which connects nerve messages.

Respiratory System

The system through which carbon dioxide is exhaled and oxygen is inhaled, including muscles moving air into and out of the lungs, passageways through which air moves, and microscopic gas exchange surfaces covered by capillaries.

Oxidative Metabolism

Cells need to maintain this for energy production that continuously regenerates adenosine triphosphate (ATP); oxygen is used as a reactant for oxidative phosphorylation to occur, and carbon dioxide is released as a waste product.

Pulmonary Artery

Carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs.

Pulmonary Veins

Drains oxygenated blood from the alveoli and exit the lungs to carry oxygen to the rest of the body.

Gas exchange

The primary function of the lungs, which requires blood to flow through the lung tissues (the pulmonary circulation).