Physiology Lab Topics

Cell Membrane Transport

Osmolarity and Tonicity

Osmolarity and tonicity are key concepts in understanding how water and solutes move across cell membranes.

• Osmolarity: The concentration of solute particles in a solution, measured in osmoles per liter.

• Tonicity: The effect a solution has on cell volume, determined by the concentration of non-penetrating solutes.

• Example: Placing a cell in a hypertonic solution causes it to shrink due to water loss.

Diffusion, Facilitated Diffusion, Osmosis, Active and Vesicular Transport

• Diffusion: Movement of molecules from high to low concentration.

• Facilitated Diffusion: Passive transport using membrane proteins.

• Osmosis: Diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane.

• Active Transport: Movement against a concentration gradient using energy (ATP).

• Vesicular Transport: Movement of large particles via vesicles (endocytosis/exocytosis).

Resting Membrane Potential

• Resting Membrane Potential: The electrical potential difference across the cell membrane at rest, typically -70 mV in neurons.

• ICF vs ECF: Intracellular fluid (ICF) and extracellular fluid (ECF) differ in ion composition; more K+ inside, more Na+ outside.

Fick's Law

• Fick's Law: Describes the rate of diffusion across a membrane.

$J = -D \frac{dC}{dx}$

• J: Rate of diffusion

• D: Diffusion coefficient

• dC/dx: Concentration gradient

Brain Lab / Skeletal Muscle Biopac

Brain Hemisphere Dominance

Brain hemisphere dominance refers to the tendency for one hemisphere to be more involved in certain functions.

• Left Hemisphere: Language, logic, analytical tasks

• Right Hemisphere: Spatial abilities, creativity, holistic thought

Dynamometer and Muscle Fatigue

• Dynamometer: Device that measures force or power produced by muscles.

• Muscle Fatigue: Decline in ability of a muscle to generate force; often shown in a graph of force vs time.

• EMG (Electromyography): Technique to record electrical activity of muscles.

• Motor Unit: A motor neuron and all the muscle fibers it innervates.

Muscle Fatigue Experiment

• As you continue to clench, force decreases due to fatigue.

• Graph shows a downward trend in force over time.

Skeletal Muscle Lab

Muscle Twitch and Phases

A muscle twitch is a single contraction resulting from a single stimulus.

• Phases: Latent, contraction, relaxation

• Number of Phases: Three

Excitation-Contraction Coupling

• Process linking muscle fiber excitation to contraction via calcium release.

Neuromuscular Junction

• Synapse between a motor neuron and muscle fiber; site of acetylcholine release.

Stimulus Voltage and Muscle Contraction

• Increasing stimulus voltage increases contraction strength up to a maximum.

Length-Tension Relationship

• Optimal muscle length produces maximal tension.

Isotonic vs Isometric Contractions

• Isotonic: Muscle changes length (movement occurs).

• Isometric: Muscle length remains constant (no movement).

Treppen, Summation, and Tetany

• Treppen (Staircase Effect): Gradual increase in contraction strength with repeated stimulation.

• Summation: Increased force due to rapid, repeated stimuli.

• Tetany: Sustained muscle contraction from high-frequency stimulation.

General Sensation/Cardiovascular Dynamics Lab

Sensory Modality and Cutaneous Senses

Sensory modality refers to the type of sensation detected (e.g., touch, pain, temperature).

• Cutaneous Senses: Sensations from skin receptors (touch, pressure, pain, temperature).

Sensory Transduction and Receptor Types

• Sensory Transduction: Conversion of stimulus energy into electrical signals by sensory receptors.

• Referred Pain: Pain perceived at a location other than the site of stimulus.

• Sensory Receptor Types: Mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors, nociceptors, photoreceptors, chemoreceptors.

Cardiovascular Formulas

• Cardiac Output (CO): Amount of blood pumped by the heart per minute.

$CO = SV \times HR$

• Stroke Volume (SV): Volume of blood pumped per beat.

• Poiseuille's Law: Describes flow of fluid through a vessel.

$Q = \frac{\pi \Delta P r^4}{8 \eta l}$

• Q: Flow rate

• ΔP: Pressure difference

• r: Radius of vessel

• η: Viscosity

• l: Length of vessel

Cardiovascular Diseases

• Examples include hypertension, atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction.

Special Senses/Vision Lab

Vision Anatomy and Physiology

• Blind Spot: Area on retina without photoreceptors.

• Astigmatism: Imperfection in eye curvature causing blurred vision.

• Photoreceptors: Rods and cones in retina detect light.

Reflections, Accommodation, and Visual Acuity

• Accommodation: Adjustment of lens shape for near/far vision.

• Visual Acuity: Sharpness of vision, measured by ability to discern letters/numbers at a distance.

Color Blindness and Binocular Vision

• Color Blindness: Inability to distinguish certain colors due to photopigment deficiency.

• Binocular Vision: Use of both eyes for depth perception.

• Vision Standards: 20/20 (normal), 20/40, 20/10 (better than normal).

Eye Anatomy

• Includes cornea, lens, retina, optic nerve, iris, pupil.

Urinary System/Urinalysis Lab

Anatomy of the Kidney and Nephron

• Kidney: Organ that filters blood, removes waste, regulates fluid/electrolytes.

• Nephron: Functional unit of kidney; includes glomerulus, tubules.

• Blood Supply: Renal artery to renal vein.

Filtration, Reabsorption, and Secretion

• Glomerular Filtration: Movement of water/solutes from blood into nephron.

• Tubular Reabsorption: Return of substances from filtrate to blood.

• Tubular Secretion: Addition of substances from blood to filtrate.

Urine Characteristics and Pathology

• Physical Characteristics: Color, clarity, odor, specific gravity.

• Urinalysis: Tests for chemical and cellular components.

• Pathologies: Ketonuria (ketones), Pyuria (pus), Calculi (stones), Casts, Glycosuria (glucose).

Special Senses (Olfaction and Taste)/Conduction System of the Heart

Gustatory Cortex and Taste Receptors

• Gustatory Cortex: Area in brain responsible for taste perception.

• Taste Receptors: Located on tongue; detect sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami.

Limbic System

• Limbic System: Brain structures involved in emotion, motivation, memory.

Heart Conduction System and ECG

• Intrinsic Conduction System: SA node, AV node, bundle of His, Purkinje fibers coordinate heartbeats.

• ECG (Electrocardiogram): Graphical recording of heart's electrical activity.

• Heart Anatomy: Chambers (atria, ventricles), valves, vessels.

Blood Typing and Spirometry Lab

Blood Typing

• Antigen: Substance on RBC surface that triggers immune response.

• Agglutination: Clumping of RBCs due to antibody-antigen reaction.

• Antibody: Protein that binds specific antigens.

• Blood Compatibility: Matching donor and recipient blood types to prevent transfusion reactions.

• ABO/Rh Blood Types: Classification based on presence/absence of A, B, Rh antigens.

Hemolysis of RBCs in Fetus

• Occurs when maternal antibodies attack fetal RBCs (e.g., Rh incompatibility).

Spirometry

• Spirograph: Device measuring lung volumes and capacities.

• Spirometry: Test to assess pulmonary function (e.g., tidal volume, vital capacity).

Lab Topic	Main Concepts	Key Terms
Cell Membrane Transport	Osmolarity, Tonicity, Diffusion, Fick's Law	Osmosis, Active Transport, Resting Potential
Muscle Physiology	Muscle Twitch, Fatigue, EMG, Motor Unit	Excitation-Contraction, Tetany, Treppen
Sensation/Cardiovascular	Modality, Transduction, CO/SV Formulas	Receptor Types, Poiseuille's Law
Vision	Blind Spot, Accommodation, Visual Acuity	Photoreceptors, Binocular Vision
Urinary System	Filtration, Reabsorption, Pathology	Nephron, Urinalysis
Special Senses/Heart	Taste, Limbic System, ECG	Gustatory Cortex, Conduction System
Blood/Spirometry	Blood Typing, Hemolysis, Spirometry	Antigen, Agglutination, Spirograph

Additional info: Some explanations and definitions have been expanded for clarity and completeness based on standard Anatomy & Physiology curriculum.