Cellular to System Physiology

This unit examines how cellular and tissue-level structures enable the function of major body systems, including nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, musculoskeletal, integumentary, endocrine, and lymphatic systems. Students build on foundational concepts to connect cellular processes (mitosis, meiosis, DNA packaging), electrophysiology, muscle and bone physiology, and glandular/immune functions to clinical and functional scenarios.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze and diagram the structure and function of neurons, glial cells, cardiac conduction nodes, and the stages of mitosis and meiosis using correct anatomical and cellular terminology
• Demonstrate how electrical impulses are generated and propagated in neurons and the heart (including roles of nodes and synapses) by constructing or annotating models and tracings of action potentials
• Apply knowledge of tissue types and organ structures to explain physiological processes such as muscle contraction, ossification, respiration, digestion, waste elimination, and reproductive cell formation
• Evaluate clinical or problem-based scenarios that integrate cellular mechanisms and organ-system physiology (e.g., arrhythmias, respiratory compromise, metabolic disruptions, immune or reproductive dysfunction) and propose anatomically and physiologically justified explanations or interventions