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Anatomy and physiology

Learn it here, then practice it on the patient.

172 anatomy and physiology topics in plain language, each linked to the bedside skill where it matters and to Making Synapses practice.

Foundations

Body regions and anatomical terms
Body planes, directions and positions
Body cavities and their membranes
Homeostasis and feedback loops
How X-ray, CT, MRI and ultrasound show the body
Water, electrolytes and pH: the basics
Carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the body
The cell membrane and how things cross it
Inside the cell: organelles and what they do
DNA, genes and making proteins
The cell cycle and how cancer starts
The four tissue types
Epithelium: the body's linings
Connective tissue: support and protection
Inflammation and tissue healing

Skin

Layers of the skin
Hair, nails and skin glands
What the skin does for the body
Burns: how heat damages skin
Why pressure injuries form
Skin cancer basics
How wounds heal

Bones

What bones do
Inside a bone
How bones grow
How a fracture heals
Calcium, vitamin D and bone strength
Osteoporosis: weak bones
The skull
The spine and its regions
The rib cage and breastbone
Shoulder girdle bones
Bones of the arm, forearm and hand
The pelvis
Bones of the thigh, leg and foot
Bony landmarks for injections and exams
How a child's skeleton differs

Joints

Types of joints
Inside a synovial joint
Body movement terms
The shoulder joint
The elbow joint
The hip joint
The knee joint and its ligaments
The ankle joint
The jaw joint
Arthritis: what goes wrong in a joint

Muscles

Three types of muscle
How skeletal muscle contracts
Muscle fibers, fatigue and cramps
How exercise changes muscle
Smooth muscle in organs and vessels
Muscles of the face and neck
Muscles of breathing
Abdominal wall muscles
Rotator cuff and shoulder muscles
Muscles of the arm and hand
Muscles of the hip and thigh
Muscles of the leg and foot
Grading muscle strength

Nervous system

Parts of the nervous system
Neurons and their support cells
How a nerve impulse travels
Synapses and neurotransmitters
Lobes of the brain and what they do
Brainstem and cerebellum
Blood supply to the brain
Meninges and cerebrospinal fluid
The spinal cord and its pathways
Spinal nerves and dermatomes
Nerves of the arm
Nerves of the leg
The twelve cranial nerves
How we see
How we hear and keep balance
Smell and taste
Touch, pain and temperature
Reflex arcs
How the brain controls movement
Sympathetic and parasympathetic systems
Fight or flight: the stress response
Drugs that act on the autonomic system
Consciousness and sleep
The neurological exam explained

Endocrine

How hormones work
Hypothalamus and pituitary
The thyroid gland
Parathyroid glands and calcium
Adrenal glands and stress hormones
Pancreas, insulin and blood glucose
Sex hormones
Hormones of pregnancy
Hormones from the kidney, heart and gut
How hormones change with age

Blood

What blood is made of
How blood cells are made
Red blood cells and oxygen
White blood cells
Platelets and clotting
Blood types and transfusion

Heart

Heart chambers, valves and blood flow
The coronary arteries
The heart's electrical system
What each wave of the ECG means
The cardiac cycle and heart sounds
Cardiac output, preload and afterload
How the heart forms and common birth defects

Vessels

Arteries, veins and capillaries
What sets blood pressure
Capillary exchange and edema
Shock: when circulation fails
Main arteries and pulse points
Main veins and IV sites
Circulation through the lungs
Circulation before birth

Immune system

Lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes
The spleen and thymus
First-line defenses: innate immunity
T cells
B cells and antibodies
How vaccines work
Allergy and anaphylaxis
Autoimmune disease basics
Immunity, transplants and cancer

Respiratory

The upper airway
Larynx and trachea
Bronchi and alveoli
The lungs and pleura
How breathing works
Lung volumes and capacities
Gas exchange in the lungs
How oxygen and CO2 travel in blood
How the brain controls breathing
Breathing at altitude and during exercise
How a child's airway differs

Digestive

The digestive tract at a glance
Mouth, teeth and swallowing
The esophagus
The stomach
The small intestine
The large intestine
The liver
Gallbladder and bile
The pancreas in digestion
Digesting and absorbing food
How the body makes energy
Fed and fasting states
How the body controls its temperature
Nutrition basics

Urinary and fluids

Kidney anatomy
The nephron
How urine is made
Kidney blood flow and GFR
Hormones that control the kidney
Ureters, bladder and urethra
What urine tells you
Body fluid compartments
Water balance and thirst
Sodium and potassium balance
Acid-base balance
Acid-base disorders

Reproduction

Male reproductive anatomy
Female reproductive anatomy
The menstrual cycle
Fertilization and implantation
How the embryo develops
Fetal development by trimester
How pregnancy changes the mother
Labor and birth
The newborn's first hours
Breastfeeding
How traits are inherited
Practice it in VR