Digestive System- Physiology Flashcards
_____means simply ‘eating or drinking,’ while _____ refers to the process of eliminating
_____ (material which is left over after all usable substances have been extracted).
Ingestion; defecation; feces
_____ is the breakdown of ingested foods into simple organic molecules.
Digestion
_____ refers to the mixing of food and digestive juices into a soft pulp.
Mechanical digestion
________ means ‘chewing.’ It is one means by which _____ occurs.
Mastication; mechanical
digestion
Smooth muscles in the gastrointestinal tract are responsible for the _____ of food from
mouth to anus via processes called _____ (swallowing) and _____.
propulsion; deglutition;
peristalsis
_________ consists of a series of progressive, alternating contractions of smooth muscle rings
which encircle the intestine. The result is propulsion of a portion of the partially digested
food, called a(n) _____, through the intestine.
Peristalsis; bolus
Mechanical digestion is continued throughout the gastrointestinal tract via a process
called _____, in which the bolus is rhythmically divided into ever-smaller portions by
bidirectional, peristalsis-like contractions of smooth muscle.
segmentation
_____ of enzymes and corrosive liquids, as well as mucus to lubricate and protect the
system itself is the function of specialized cells within the gastrointestinal tract and
accessory organs.
Secretion
_____ of nutrients is possible because cells of the gastrointestinal tract actively
transcytose them into the blood or lymph.
Absorption
The epithelial cells of the GI tract are joined by _____ so that nutrient molecules cannot
enter the body by passing between cells, but must instead pass through them.
tight junctions
During _____, complex molecules are separated and hydrolyzed by enzymes, emulsifiers
and corrosive chemicals.
chemical digestion
Digestive activity is subject to _____ and _____ controls. These, in turn, are triggered by
_____ or _____ stimuli.
nervous; hormonal; chemical;
mechanical
Neural networks found in the entrails, as a group, are the _____ or _____.
enteric plexus; enteric nervous
system (ENS)
Neural control is primarily _____, via the _____, with only minor modulation from the CNS.
local; enteric plexus
Neural regulation of the digestive system is complex, and involves over 30 _____, each
mediating a slightly different response from the cells which receive them as signals.
neurotransmitters
Many of the hormones that control digestion are produced by _____. This allows each
region of the digestive system to interact with _____, even those some distance away.
cells of the digestive system; all
of the others
Beginning with the esophagus, the GI tract has four major walls or layers, called _____.
From the lumen outward, the first three are the _____, _____, and the _____.
tunics; mucosa; submucosa;
muscularis
The outermost tunic of the GI tract is called the _____ when it is adjacent to the peritoneal
cavity, or the ____ in regions where it is physically continuous with surrounding tissue.
visceral serosa; adventitia
The mucosa of the intestinal tract consists of three layers: from the lumen outward, they
are the _____, _____ and _____.
mucous epithelium; lamina
propria; muscularis mucosae
In many regions of the GI tract, the mucous epithelium invaginates, penetrating the _____
to form _____.
lamina propria; glands
Blood vessels and lymphatic vessels in the _____ of the GI tract’s
mucosa provide nutrients and oxygen, and remove wastes, from the mucous epithelium.
lamina propria
The mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) is found in the _____ . Since it is in the gut, MALT in this region is often called “_____”
instead of MALT.
lamina propria; Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (GALT)
The purpose of the MALT in the GI tract is to protect it from _____.
bacteria which contaminate
food or drink
Smooth muscles in the _____ create
transient wrinkles which decrease adherence of substances to the intestinal surface and
increase local mixing.
muscularis mucosae