Skeletal System
These soft spots between infant skull bones allow for growth.
What are fontanelles?
The basic structural and functional unit of a muscle fiber.
What is a sarcomere?
This type of feedback loop is rare, short-lived, and must be stopped externally.
What is positive feedback?
Gas exchange occurs across this type of epithelium in the alveoli.
What is simple squamous epithelium?
These neuroglia anchor neurons to blood capillaries in the CNS.
What are astrocytes?
The main function of intervertebral discs.
What is shock absorption?
The neurotransmitter released to stimulate muscle contraction.
What is acetylcholine?
Name the control center involved in thermoregulation.
What is the hypothalamus?
Oxygen moves from the alveoli into the blood due to differences in this physical property.
What is partial pressure (or concentration gradient)?
This neuroglia cell lines the ventricles of the brain and helps circulate cerebrospinal fluid.
What are ependymal cells?
Classify the sternum: long, short, flat, or irregular bone.
What is a flat bone?
Movement that decreases the angle of a joint.
What is flexion?
During childbirth, oxytocin release causes increasingly stronger uterine contractions. This is an example of this feedback type.
What is positive feedback?
Name the process by which gases move from areas of high concentration to low concentration.
What is diffusion?
Identify the disease caused by inflammation of the meninges.
What is meningitis?
Identify the fracture caused by twisting forces and common in sports injuries.
What is a spiral fracture?
Name three ways muscles can be named.
Size, shape, location, action, direction of fibers, number of attachments.
Identify the component of a feedback loop that actually carries out the response.
What is the effector?
Explain how destruction of alveoli in emphysema reduces oxygen diffusion.
Fewer alveoli = less surface area, reducing oxygen diffusion into the blood.
Damage to this neuron structure would most directly slow action potential transmission.
What is the myelin sheath?
Name the bone disease characterized by low bone density and porous bones.
What is osteoporosis?
Explain how actin and myosin interact during muscle contraction.
Myosin pulls actin inward, shortening the sarcomere and causing contraction.
Explain why negative feedback is essential for survival while positive feedback is not.
Negative feedback maintains stable internal conditions; positive feedback amplifies change and can be dangerous if unchecked.
Predict what happens to thoracic pressure and volume if the diaphragm fails to contract.
Thoracic volume would not increase, pressure would not decrease, and air would not flow into the lungs.
Compare the roles of Schwann cells and oligodendrocytes in myelination.
Schwann cells myelinate PNS axons; oligodendrocytes myelinate CNS axons.