Anatomy & Physiology I: Lab Study Guide (Weeks 1–7)

Introduction

This study guide summarizes the key topics, anatomical terms, and laboratory exercises covered in the first seven weeks of a college-level Anatomy & Physiology I course. It is organized by week and topic, providing definitions, examples, and essential details for exam preparation.

Week 1: Anatomical Terminology and Organ Systems

Anatomical Terminology

Understanding anatomical terminology is essential for accurately describing locations and relationships of body parts.

• Surface Anatomy Terms: Refer to specific regions of the body (e.g., cephalic for head, brachial for arm).

• Anatomical Position: The standard reference position for the body in the study of anatomy. The body is erect, facing forward, arms at the sides with palms facing forward.

• Body Planes and Sections:

  • Frontal (coronal) plane: Divides the body into anterior and posterior parts.

  • Sagittal plane: Divides the body into right and left parts.

  • Transverse plane: Divides the body into superior and inferior parts.

  • Oblique plane: Passes through the body at an angle.

• Orientation/Direction Terms: Used to describe the location of one body part relative to another (e.g., superior/inferior, medial/lateral, proximal/distal, superficial/deep).

• Body Cavities:

  • Dorsal cavity: Contains the cranial and vertebral cavities.

  • Ventral cavity: Contains the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities.

  • Thoracic cavity: Contains the heart and lungs.

  • Abdominopelvic cavity: Contains digestive, urinary, and reproductive organs.

• Abdominopelvic Regions and Quadrants:

  • Quadrants: Right upper, left upper, right lower, left lower.

  • Regions: Right/left hypochondriac, epigastric, right/left lumbar, umbilical, right/left iliac (inguinal), hypogastric (pubic).

Organ Systems Overview

There are eleven major organ systems in the human body, each with specific functions and major organs.

• Examples: Integumentary (skin), skeletal (bones), muscular (muscles), nervous (brain, nerves), endocrine (glands), cardiovascular (heart, blood vessels), lymphatic (lymph nodes), respiratory (lungs), digestive (stomach, intestines), urinary (kidneys, bladder), reproductive (testes, ovaries).

Major Organs Identification

• Be able to identify organs such as thymus, heart, lungs, trachea, esophagus, diaphragm, liver, gallbladder, stomach, intestines, pancreas, spleen, kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, inferior vena cava, abdominal aorta, mesentery, testis, ovary, uterus, etc., on models or specimens.

Week 2: Microscopy and Cell Structure

The Microscope

• Identify microscope parts and their functions (e.g., ocular lens, objective lens, stage, coarse/fine focus knobs).

• Proper technique for care and focusing.

• Calculate:

  • Total magnification: $\text{Total magnification} = \text{ocular lens} \times \text{objective lens}$

  • Working distance: Distance between the objective lens and the specimen.

  • Field size: The diameter of the area visible through the microscope.

  • Object size: $\text{Object size} = \frac{\text{Field size}}{\text{Number of objects across field}}$

Cell Structure

• Identify structures on a cell model:

  • Plasma membrane, ribosome, Golgi apparatus, smooth/rough endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondrion, lysosome, centrioles, vacuole, nucleus, nucleolus, chromatin, nuclear envelope.

• Identify mitosis stages on slides/models: prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase.

Classification of Epithelial Tissues

• Simple squamous, cuboidal, columnar epithelium

• Pseudostratified columnar, stratified squamous, transitional epithelium

Week 3: Connective Tissues and Integumentary System

Connective Tissue Types

• Areolar, adipose, dense regular (white fibrous), bone, blood, fibrocartilage, hyaline cartilage, elastic cartilage

The Integumentary System

• Identify skin structures: epidermis, dermis, hair shaft/root/follicle, sebaceous gland, arrector pili muscle, sweat glands, dermal papillae, tactile (Meissner's) and lamellar (Pacinian) corpuscles, blood vessels, lymph vessels, adipose tissue.

• Identify epidermal layers: stratum corneum, lucidum, granulosum, spinosum, basale.

• Identify skin structures on microscope slides.

Cartilage and Bone Overview

• Types of cartilage: hyaline, fibrocartilage, elastic; know locations in the body.

Week 4: The Skeleton – Bones and Landmarks

Cranial and Facial Bones

• Identify bones and major landmarks (e.g., frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, sphenoid, ethmoid, mandible, maxilla, zygomatic, nasal, vomer, inferior nasal concha, palatine, lacrimal).

Vertebral Column

• Identify vertebrae (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, coccyx) and landmarks (transverse/spinous process, vertebral foramen, body, dens).

Thorax and Shoulder Girdle

• Sternum, ribs (true, false, floating), clavicle, scapula (spine, acromion, coracoid process, glenoid cavity).

Arm and Forearm

• Humerus (head, tubercles, epicondyles, fossa), ulna (olecranon, trochlear notch), radius (tuberosity, styloid process).

Hand

• Carpals (scaphoid, lunate, triquetrum, pisiform, trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate), metacarpals, phalanges.

Week 5: Pelvic Girdle, Thigh, Leg, and Foot

Pelvic Girdle

• Differentiate male and female pelvis.

• Identify coxal bone (ilium, ischium, pubis) and landmarks (acetabulum, auricular surface, iliac crest, pubic symphysis, obturator foramen, sacroiliac joint, anterior superior iliac spine).

Thigh, Leg, and Foot

• Femur (head, neck, trochanters, condyles, epicondyles, linea aspera), tibia (tuberosity, condyles, malleolus), fibula (head, malleolus), tarsals (talus, calcaneus, navicular, cuneiforms, cuboid), metatarsals, phalanges.

Week 6: Articulations and Body Movements

Classification of Joints

• Fibrous joints: Joined by fibrous tissue, no joint cavity (e.g., suture of skull, syndesmosis, gomphosis).

• Cartilaginous joints: Joined by cartilage, no joint cavity (e.g., symphysis, synchondrosis).

• Synovial joints: Joint cavity present, freely movable (e.g., hinge, pivot, condyloid, ball and socket, saddle joints).

Examples of Synovial Joints

• Hinge (elbow), pivot (atlantoaxial), condyloid (radiocarpal), ball and socket (shoulder, hip), saddle (1st metacarpal and trapezium).

Tables

The following table summarizes the main types of body cavities and their contents:

Body Cavity	Main Contents
Cranial	Brain
Vertebral	Spinal cord
Thoracic	Heart, lungs
Abdominal	Digestive organs
Pelvic	Urinary bladder, reproductive organs

Additional info: This guide expands on the original syllabus by providing definitions, examples, and context for each anatomical concept, ensuring a self-contained resource for exam preparation.