Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Physiology Final Exam > Digestive System > Flashcards

Digestive System Flashcards

1
Q

4 factors that regulate digestive function

A

Autonomous smooth muscle function, Intrinsic nerve plexuses, Extrinsic nerves, GI hormones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What are the four basic processes performed by the digestive system?

A

Motility, Secretion, Digestion, Absorption

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What are the two types of motility movements? Which type of muscle produces them?

A

Mixing movements - aid digestion of food
Propulsive movements - push contents forward

~ Accomplished by smooth muscle lining digestive tract

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is the difference between exocrine and endocrine secretions?

A

Exocrine - secretions into the digestive tract (mix of H2O, electrolytes, enzymes)

Endocrine - secretions of GI hormones & peptides that enter blood

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Where does absorption mostly occur?

A

small intestine

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are the three main categories of energy-rich food components?

A

carbohydrates, proteins, fats

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is hydrolysis?

A

how digestion is accomplished; adding H2O to bond site to break bond

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are the absorbable units of carbohydrates? …proteins? …fats?

A

Carbohydrates (monosaccharides), protein (amino acids/small polypeptides), fats (triglycerides)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What do starch and glycogen consist of? What are soluble and insoluble fibers?

A

Glycogen: storage form of glucose in muscle

Starch: mixture of amylose (unbranched) and amylopectin (branched)

soluble/insoluble fibers: dietary polysaccharides that cannot be digested

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Accessory digestive organs

A

salivary glands, pancreas, liver, gallbladder

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are the four layers of the digestive tract?

A

Mucosa, Submucosa, Muscularis, Serosa

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

In what layer(s) are cells that secrete found? Which layer mainly contains smooth muscle?

A

(Mucosa) Mucous membrane - exocrine gland cells, endocrine gland cells; contains smooth muscle

(Serosa) secretes serous fluid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Where are the two plexuses?

A

(Submucosa) contains submucosal plexus - nerve network

Myenteric plexus - nerve network between layers of muscularis externa

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is function of serous fluid?

A

prevents friction between digestive organs and surrounding viscera

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are the four means by which digestive activity can be regulated?

A

1 - Autonomous smooth muscle function
2 - Intrinsic nerve plexuses
3 - Extrinsic nerves
4 - Gastrointestinal (GI) hormones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What do interstitial cells of Cajal do? (Autonomous smooth muscle function)

A

pacemaker calls throughout muscularis externa

generate spontaneous, rhythmic, slow-wave membrane potentials

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

How does electrical activity pass between smooth muscle cells in the digestive tract?

A

Slow wave potentials propagate to adjacent smooth muscle cells via Gap Junctions (depolarization spreads down tract)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Does the slow-wave potential always lead to contraction?

A

If depolarization peak crosses threshold, multiple action potentials fire –> contraction of smooth muscle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Enteric nervous system (Intrinsic nerve plexuses) comprised of?

A

submucosal plexus and myenteric plexus together

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

How does sympathetic activity change digestive processes?

A

inhibits digestive motility and secretion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

How does parasympathetic activity change digestive processes?

A

promotes digestive motility and secretion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Where are GI hormones secreted? What do they act on?

A

Secreted from endocrine cells in digestive tract —> act on smooth muscle and exocrine cells

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What are the functions of mastication (chewing)?

A

break food up smaller pieces, mix with saliva, expose food to taste buds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What are the functions of saliva?

A
  • begins digestion of dietary starch (salivary amylase enzyme)
  • facilitates swallowing by lubricating with mucus
  • inhibits bacteria
  • solvent for tastants
  • aids speech (allows tongue, lips, cheeks to glide)
  • neutralizes acids in food/bacteria (bicarbonate buffer)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

What secretes saliva? (3 glands)

A

3 glands: Parotid, Submandibular, Sublingual glands

26
Q

What brain structure controls swallowing?

A

Medulla (swallowing center)

27
Q

What receptors sense pressure form food entering mouth?

A

Pharyngeal mechanoreceptors

28
Q

What are the three functional sections of the stomach?

A

fundus, body, antrum

29
Q

Main functions of the stomach

A

1) Stores food until it can be emptied into the small intestine at a rate appropriate for digestion and absorption

2) Secretes HCl and enzymes that begin protein digestion

3) Pulverizes ingested food and mixes with gastric secretions to produce thick liquid called chyme

30
Q

What is receptive relaxation of the stomach?

A

relaxation of smooth muscle due to the vagus nerve –> allows stomach to unfold, volume expands

31
Q

Which area of the stomach has thicker smooth muscle? What function does it provide?

A

antrum – thickest smooth muscle = greater force for propulsion and mixing (retropulsion)

32
Q

Does chyme simply dump straight into the duodenum from the stomach?

A
33
Q

Elongated gland consisting of exocrine tissue

A

Pancreas

34
Q

secretes exocrine pancreatic enzymes that break down carbohydrates, proteins, fats..

A

First digested in…
Carbo - saliva
Protein - stomach (pepsin)

35
Q

GI hormones enterogastrones secreted

A

Secretin and CCK

36
Q

Liver

A

role in digesting fats

37
Q

Liver anatomy: Lobules

A

functional unit; veins and arteries branched/organized here

38
Q

Sphrincter of Oddi relaxes..

A

gallbladder contracts — squeezes bile into small intestine (duodenum)

39
Q

Bile constantly produced— bile ducts — can’t go into small intestine — goes into gallbladder

A
40
Q

gallbladder filled with bile in-between meals — when stomach fills with fats — gallbladder contracts

A
41
Q

Bile

A

contains bile salts; derived from cholesterol; lecithin, bilirubin (waste product from RBC breakdown)

42
Q

How do the products of fat digestion (monoglycerides and free fatty acids) reach the luminal membrane for absorption?

A
  • Lecithin and bile salts aggregate to form tiny micelles
43
Q

Bilirubin

A

waste product in the breakdown of heme from hemoglobin in worn-out red blood cells; produced by Kupffer cells (macrophages)

44
Q

Jaundice

A
45
Q

Small intestine - Motions?

A

alternating ring-like contractions (Segmentation)

46
Q

Segmentation

A

1- mixes chyme together
2- expose chyme to absorptive surfaced of intestinal lining

47
Q

__________ prevent small intestine from being contaminated by bacteria in large intestine

A

ileocecal valve & sphincter

48
Q

Small intestine large surface area for absorption..how?

A

large scale circular folds, villi (lined with epithelial cells), microvilli (extends from top of one epithelial cell)

49
Q

epithelial cells linked by ____

A

tight junctions

50
Q

Where are Crypts of Lieberkühn? What is it?

A

between villi; contain stem cells that produce new epithelial cells

51
Q

where do the old epithelial cells go?

A

sloughed off at the top (digested), old ones move up replacing it

52
Q

Final stage of digestion of carbohydrates & proteins

A

Brush border

53
Q

All products of carb, protein and fat digestion, most h2O, electrolytes and vitamins, are absorbed in small intestine without regulation

A

if you eat, it is incorporated into body — isnt regulated like the kidneys

54
Q

Carbohydrate absorption

A

absorbable until (monosaccharides)

55
Q

Proteins become digested

A

ingested proteins, digestive enzymes, proteins within epithelial cells sloughed off, small amounts of plasma proteins leaked into digestive tract lumen

56
Q

Fat absorption

A

1- dietary fats (triglycerides) liver secretes Bile salts — breaks up fat

2- pancreatic lipase; micelles; passive diffusion into epithelial cell

3- triglycerides coated with lipoprotein (water soluble) –> chylomicrons (large)

4- Chylo exit thru exocytosis (enter into lymphatic system; too big to enter capillary pores)

57
Q

Large intestine

A

drying and storage organ
- additional water absorbed in large intestine (9 out of 9.5 L by small intestine)
- 4 lbs of bacteria in colon

58
Q

What do bacteria do?

A
  • digest cellulose into fatty acids (lipid soluble can diffuse thru wall into bloodstream; small amount)
  • Reabsorbs NaCl and H2O
59
Q

Feces contains

A

mostly water, undigested cellulose, bilirubin (color), bacteria, small amount of salt

60
Q

Tania coli

A

smooth muscle lining colon

layers gathered into pouches (haustra)

61
Q

Gastrocolic reflex

A

stomach releases gastrin –> massive contraction of colon, drive colon contents forward quickly

62
Q

Defecation reflex

A

feces distend rectum, activate stretch receptors

  • like bladder, relax internal/anal sphincter and contract of rectum

Physiology Final Exam (3 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions