Homeostasis and Directional Terms Flashcards
Anatomy
The identification of the structures of the body.
Physiology
The identification of the functions of the body.
Organelle
Specialized structures in a cell that perform specific metabolic functions.
Cell
The smallest structural and functional unit of an organism.
Tissue
A group of cells that have a similar structure and that function together as a unit.
Organ
A collection of tissues that structurally form a functional unit specialized to perform a particular function.
Organ System
A group of organs that work together in the body to perform a complex function.
Organism
An individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form.
Metabolism
Chemical reactions in the body’s cells that change food into energy.
Homeostasis
A state of body equilibrium or stable internal environment of the body.
Negative-Feedback Mechanisms
Feedback that causes the stimulus to decline or end.
Receptor
A peripheral nerve endings specialized for response to particular types of stimuli.
Control Center
Reacts to deviations from this set point using negative feedback.
Effector
An organ, gland, or muscle that can respond and becomes active in response to a stimulus.
Positive-Feedback Mechanism
Feedback that tends to cause a variable to change in the same direction as the initial change; enhances the stimulus.
Superior
To the top or head-end of the body.
Inferior
Towards the bottom or away from the head-end of the body.
Anatomical Position
The description of any part of the body in a specific stance.
Anterior
“In front of” or “The front surface of.”
Frontal Plane
A vertical plane running from side to side.
Posterior
The back of a structure, or a found toward the back of the body.
Sagittal Plane
A vertical plane running from front to back; divides the body or any of its parts into right and left sides.
Oblique Plane
Divides the body at an angle between the horizontal and vertical planes.
Transverse Plane
An anatomical plane that divides the body into superior and inferior sections.
Thoracic Cavity
A space inside your thorax (chest) that contains your heart, lungs and other organs and tissues.
Abdominal Cavity
Largest hollow space of the body.
Pelvic Cavity
The space inside the pelvic bones.
Serous Membranes
A mesothelial tissue which lines certain internal cavities of the body, forming a smooth, transparent, two-layered membrane lubricated by a fluid derived from serum.
Pericardial Cavity
A potential space between the visceral and parietal pericardial layers, which meet at lines of attachment on the surfaces of the heart and the great vessels.
Pleural Cavity
A space between the visceral and parietal pleura.
