BIO 304 . Human Anatomy & Physiology . Week 5

Week 5 Workbook — Nervous, Senses & Endocrine

Days 17 through 20 . Print one packet, work the whole week.

Print this whole packet at the start of the week and use it as you work through the videos and interactive notes for the days listed below. Each day starts on a fresh page so it’s easy to keep them organized.

Day 17 · CNS Organization: Brain & Spinal Cord
Day 18 · PNS & Autonomic Nervous System
Day 19 · Vision
Day 19 · Hearing & Equilibrium
Day 20 · Hormone Mechanisms
Day 20 · Major Endocrine Glands

Day 17

CNS Organization: Brain & Spinal Cord

BIO 304 . WEEK 5 . MONDAY . LAB WORKBOOK

CNS Organization: Brain and Spinal Cord

Major brain regions, meninges, ventricles, and the spinal cord.

Print this page. You will draw your own diagrams from the directions below, then hand-label the structures listed. Drawing by hand is the integrity mechanism for this course.

Part 1 of 2

Anatomy Lab

1A. What you will draw

Today you'll draw the brain in lateral view with its lobes and major regions, then a spinal cord cross-section with the three meningeal layers.

Box A. Brain in lateral view

Directions

Draw the outline of a brain in left lateral view. Show the convoluted surface (gyri and sulci).
Divide the cerebrum into four lobes with dashed lines: Frontal (anterior, in front of the central sulcus), Parietal (behind the central sulcus), Temporal (below the lateral sulcus), Occipital (most posterior).
Label the central sulcus (separates frontal from parietal) and the lateral sulcus (separates temporal).
Draw the cerebellum below the occipital lobe.
Draw the brainstem extending down from the center: midbrain, pons, medulla oblongata. Label each.
Inside the frontal lobe, label the primary motor cortex (just anterior to the central sulcus). Inside the parietal lobe, label the primary somatosensory cortex (just posterior to the central sulcus).

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

Box B. Spinal cord cross-section with meninges

Directions

Draw a round cross-section of the spinal cord.
Inside, draw a butterfly (H) shape representing gray matter. Label dorsal horn (top), ventral horn (bottom), and central canal (small hole in the middle of the H).
Around the gray matter, draw the white matter (it surrounds the H). Label.
Wrap the cord in three meningeal layers. Innermost: pia mater (tight on the cord). Middle: arachnoid mater (with subarachnoid space below it where CSF flows). Outermost: dura mater (thick).
Label all three layers and the subarachnoid space.
Outside the dura, draw vertebral bone (the spinal cord sits inside the vertebral canal).

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

1C. Structures to label (21)

After you finish each drawing, label every structure below directly on your sketch.

Frontal lobe
Parietal lobe
Temporal lobe
Occipital lobe
Central sulcus
Lateral sulcus
Cerebellum
Midbrain
Pons
Medulla oblongata
Primary motor cortex
Primary somatosensory cortex
Dorsal horn
Ventral horn
Central canal
Gray matter
White matter
Pia mater
Arachnoid mater
Dura mater
Subarachnoid space

Part 2 of 2

Physiology Lab

2A. Map the function to the brain region

For each function below, name the brain region MOST responsible. Be specific about lobe, gyrus, or subcortical structure.

1. Voluntary control of skeletal muscle in the right hand.

2. Conscious sensation of touch from the left foot.

3. Visual processing of the scene in front of you.

4. Producing fluent, grammatical speech.

5. Understanding spoken language.

6. Balance, posture, and coordination of fine motor movements.

7. Regulation of heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure (autonomic 'vital signs' centers).

2B. Synthesis questions

Answer each in 2 to 4 sentences. Use the language from this week's lecture and your drawings as evidence.

1. A patient has a stroke that damages the right primary motor cortex in the region controlling the hand. Predict the side and pattern of weakness, and explain why it's on that side using the concept of decussation.

2. Bacterial meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges. Explain why a lumbar puncture (collecting CSF from below the spinal cord) is the diagnostic test, and which meningeal space the needle enters.

3. A car accident causes a spinal cord injury at the C7 level. Predict which functions are lost (motor, sensory, autonomic) and which are preserved, and explain why an injury one level higher would be much more dangerous.

3. What to submit

Complete both the Anatomy Lab (your own drawings, hand-labeled, plus the structures list) and the Physiology Lab (activity and synthesis questions). Photograph or scan every page and upload to Canvas before the deadline listed on the schedule. Hand-drawn, hand-labeled work is the integrity mechanism for this course. Typed or AI-generated diagrams are not accepted.

Day 18

PNS & Autonomic Nervous System

BIO 304 . WEEK 5 . TUESDAY . LAB WORKBOOK

PNS and Autonomic Nervous System

Cranial and spinal nerves, reflex arcs, and the sympathetic vs parasympathetic divisions.

Print this page. You will draw your own diagrams from the directions below, then hand-label the structures listed. Drawing by hand is the integrity mechanism for this course.

Part 1 of 2

Anatomy Lab

1A. What you will draw

The peripheral nervous system carries signals to and from the CNS. The autonomic nervous system handles involuntary control. Today you'll draw a generic reflex arc, then the sympathetic vs parasympathetic outflow.

Box A. The reflex arc (5 components)

Directions

Use the patellar (knee-jerk) reflex as your example. Draw a leg with the patellar tendon being tapped by a reflex hammer.
Component 1: Receptor. Draw a muscle spindle in the quadriceps. Label.
Component 2: Sensory (afferent) neuron. Draw an axon going from the muscle spindle up to the spinal cord, entering the dorsal horn.
Component 3: Integration center. Inside the spinal cord, show a single synapse (this is a monosynaptic reflex). Label.
Component 4: Motor (efferent) neuron. Draw an axon leaving the ventral horn and going back down to the quadriceps.
Component 5: Effector. The quadriceps contracts, kicking the leg up. Label.
Add arrows showing the direction of signal flow.

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

Box B. Sympathetic vs parasympathetic outflow

Directions

Draw a side view of the spinal column.
Sympathetic (thoracolumbar): show preganglionic fibers leaving the spinal cord from T1 through L2. Draw the sympathetic chain ganglia running parallel to the cord. Show short preganglionic fibers ending in chain ganglia, then long postganglionic fibers traveling to target organs.
Parasympathetic (craniosacral): show preganglionic fibers leaving from the brainstem (via cranial nerves III, VII, IX, and especially X, the vagus) AND from S2-S4 (sacral). Show long preganglionic fibers traveling to ganglia near or on the target organs, then very short postganglionic fibers.
Label two target organs (e.g., heart, lungs, gut) and note opposing effects: sympathetic increases heart rate, parasympathetic decreases it.

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

1C. Structures to label (13)

After you finish each drawing, label every structure below directly on your sketch.

Receptor (muscle spindle)
Sensory neuron (afferent)
Dorsal horn
Integration center (spinal cord synapse)
Motor neuron (efferent)
Ventral horn
Effector (skeletal muscle)
Sympathetic chain ganglia
Preganglionic fiber (sympathetic)
Postganglionic fiber (sympathetic)
Preganglionic fiber (parasympathetic)
Postganglionic fiber (parasympathetic)
Vagus nerve (CN X)

Part 2 of 2

Physiology Lab

2A. Sympathetic vs parasympathetic comparison

Fill in the table comparing the two autonomic divisions. Then answer the two follow-up questions.

Property	Sympathetic	Parasympathetic
Origin in CNS (thoracolumbar / craniosacral)
Preganglionic fiber length (short / long)
Effect on heart rate
Effect on pupil diameter
Effect on GI motility
Effect on bronchial smooth muscle
Effect on sweat glands

Why are sympathetic effects more widespread (affecting many organs at once) while parasympathetic effects are more targeted? Justify using preganglionic fiber length and ganglion location.

Both divisions release acetylcholine at preganglionic synapses. At postganglionic targets, sympathetic typically releases norepinephrine and parasympathetic releases acetylcholine. Predict what beta-blocker drugs (which block norepinephrine receptors in the heart) do to heart rate, and why.

2B. Synthesis questions

Answer each in 2 to 4 sentences. Use the language from this week's lecture and your drawings as evidence.

1. A person is startled by a loud noise. List 5 specific sympathetic effects they experience over the next 10 seconds. For each, identify the target organ and the response.

2. After eating a large meal, parasympathetic activity dominates. Predict at least 3 specific physiological changes in this state and explain how 'rest and digest' is the appropriate metabolic context.

3. A patient takes an anticholinergic medication for an overactive bladder. Predict the side effects this drug will produce across other organs that also respond to acetylcholine. Why are dry mouth, blurred vision, and constipation common with these drugs?

3. What to submit

Day 19

Vision

BIO 304 . WEEK 5 . THURSDAY . LAB WORKBOOK

Vision

The eye, the retina, and how light becomes a neural signal.

Print this page. You will draw your own diagrams from the directions below, then hand-label the structures listed. Drawing by hand is the integrity mechanism for this course.

Part 1 of 2

Anatomy Lab

1A. What you will draw

Vision starts with light bending through the cornea and lens, and ends with action potentials traveling up the optic nerve. Today you'll draw the eye in sagittal section and the retinal layers in close-up.

Box A. Eye in sagittal section

Directions

Draw an eye in cross-section as viewed from the side. The front of the eye is on the LEFT, the back is on the RIGHT.
Draw the cornea (transparent dome at the front).
Draw the iris (colored ring) and the pupil (opening in the center). Label both.
Draw the lens behind the iris. Show the ciliary body and suspensory ligaments holding the lens.
Label the anterior chamber (between cornea and iris, contains aqueous humor) and the posterior chamber.
Fill the rest of the eye (the large back portion) with vitreous humor. Label.
Line the back of the eye with the retina. Label.
Mark the fovea centralis (small pit in the central retina, point of sharpest vision).
Show the optic nerve leaving the back of the eye. Label the optic disc (blind spot) where the nerve exits.
Wrap the eye with sclera (white outer layer) and choroid (vascular middle layer).

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

Box B. Retinal layers (light path)

Directions

Draw a horizontal section of retina. The light arrives from the BOTTOM (yes, paradoxically) and the photoreceptors face the TOP (away from the light).
Layer 1 (bottom): retinal ganglion cells. Their axons form the optic nerve. Label.
Layer 2: bipolar cells.
Layer 3 (top): photoreceptors. Draw both rods (long, dim light, peripheral vision) and cones (shorter, bright light, color vision, concentrated at the fovea).
Above the photoreceptors, draw the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE, a dark layer that absorbs stray light).
Add arrows showing the path of light entering at the bottom and the path of the neural signal going DOWN from photoreceptors to bipolars to ganglion cells.

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

1C. Structures to label (20)

After you finish each drawing, label every structure below directly on your sketch.

Cornea
Iris
Pupil
Lens
Ciliary body
Suspensory ligaments
Aqueous humor
Vitreous humor
Retina
Fovea centralis
Optic disc
Optic nerve
Sclera
Choroid
Photoreceptor
Rod
Cone
Bipolar cell
Retinal ganglion cell
Retinal pigment epithelium

Part 2 of 2

Physiology Lab

2A. Trace: from photon to action potential

List the 7 steps that occur from a photon entering the eye to an action potential traveling up the optic nerve. Be precise about which structures the light passes through and where signal transduction happens.

2B. Synthesis questions

Answer each in 2 to 4 sentences. Use the language from this week's lecture and your drawings as evidence.

1. A patient with myopia (nearsightedness) has trouble seeing distant objects. Explain the optical defect (eyeball shape or lens shape) and how a corrective lens fixes it.

2. A patient is diagnosed with macular degeneration (loss of cone-rich foveal retina). Predict which type of vision is lost FIRST (peripheral, central, color, night) and which is preserved longest, with a one-sentence reason.

3. Why is the optic disc called the blind spot? Predict what happens when an image falls on the optic disc, and explain why we don't normally notice this gap in our visual field.

3. What to submit

Day 19

Hearing & Equilibrium

BIO 304 . WEEK 5 . THURSDAY . LAB WORKBOOK

Hearing and Equilibrium

From sound waves at the eardrum to hair cells in the cochlea; and how we sense head position and motion.

Print this page. You will draw your own diagrams from the directions below, then hand-label the structures listed. Drawing by hand is the integrity mechanism for this course.

Part 1 of 2

Anatomy Lab

1A. What you will draw

The ear handles two senses: hearing (cochlea) and equilibrium (vestibular system). Today you'll draw the three regions of the ear, then the organ of Corti inside the cochlea.

Box A. Outer, middle, and inner ear

Directions

Draw an ear in cross-section from outside to inside. Divide into three regions with vertical lines.
Outer ear (left): pinna (the visible external ear) and external auditory canal leading to the tympanic membrane (eardrum). Label.
Middle ear (center): air-filled space behind the eardrum, containing three tiny bones (the ossicles): malleus, incus, stapes. Label each. Show the stapes contacting the oval window of the cochlea.
Inner ear (right): draw the cochlea as a snail-shell spiral (fluid-filled, handles hearing). Above it, draw the three semicircular canals (orthogonal loops) and the vestibule (linear motion). Label all four structures.
Add the Eustachian tube connecting the middle ear to the throat (pressure equalization).

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

Box B. Organ of Corti close-up

Directions

Draw a cross-section of the cochlear duct showing the organ of Corti sitting on the basilar membrane.
Label the basilar membrane (under the hair cells, vibrates at different frequencies along its length).
Draw hair cells: a single row of inner hair cells (the main sensory cells) and three rows of outer hair cells (amplifiers). Label.
Show stereocilia (hair-like projections) on top of each hair cell, contacting the tectorial membrane above. Label both.
Show the cochlear nerve fibers leaving the base of the hair cells.
Note the principle: when the basilar membrane vibrates, the stereocilia bend against the tectorial membrane, opening ion channels in the hair cell, leading to neurotransmitter release.

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

1C. Structures to label (17)

After you finish each drawing, label every structure below directly on your sketch.

Pinna
External auditory canal
Tympanic membrane
Malleus
Incus
Stapes
Oval window
Cochlea
Vestibule
Semicircular canals
Eustachian tube
Basilar membrane
Tectorial membrane
Inner hair cell
Outer hair cell
Stereocilia
Cochlear nerve

Part 2 of 2

Physiology Lab

2A. Trace: sound wave to action potential

List the 8 steps that occur from a sound wave in air to an action potential in the cochlear nerve. Identify each structure the signal passes through and what changes.

2B. Synthesis questions

Answer each in 2 to 4 sentences. Use the language from this week's lecture and your drawings as evidence.

1. A patient has conductive hearing loss (e.g., a fluid-filled middle ear from an infection). Explain mechanistically why sound transmission fails, and contrast with sensorineural hearing loss (damaged hair cells or cochlear nerve).

2. A passenger gets out of a spinning teacup ride and feels dizzy. Explain what is happening in their semicircular canals during and just after the spin, and why the world appears to keep moving even after they've stopped.

3. High-frequency sounds are detected near the BASE of the cochlea, while low-frequency sounds are detected near the APEX. Explain how the basilar membrane's structural properties produce this 'tonotopic' map.

3. What to submit

Day 20

Hormone Mechanisms

BIO 304 . WEEK 5 . FRIDAY . LAB WORKBOOK

Hormone Mechanisms

Two pathways: steroid hormones acting on intracellular receptors; peptide hormones acting through membrane receptors and second messengers.

Print this page. You will draw your own diagrams from the directions below, then hand-label the structures listed. Drawing by hand is the integrity mechanism for this course.

Part 1 of 2

Anatomy Lab

1A. What you will draw

Hormones are signaling molecules. The chemistry of the hormone determines its mechanism: steroids (lipid-soluble) cross the membrane and act on receptors inside the cell; peptides (water-soluble) act on receptors at the cell surface. Draw both pathways.

Box A. Steroid hormone mechanism

Directions

Draw a target cell with its plasma membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus visible.
Outside the cell, draw a steroid hormone (small ring structure, label e.g., cortisol or estrogen).
Show the hormone crossing the plasma membrane (it's lipid-soluble, so it passes directly through).
Inside the cytoplasm, show the hormone binding an intracellular receptor protein. Label receptor.
Show the hormone-receptor complex moving into the nucleus.
Inside the nucleus, show the complex binding DNA at a specific gene. Label DNA, gene.
Show transcription starting, then mRNA leaving the nucleus, then a new protein being made on ribosomes in the cytoplasm.
Note: response takes hours (gene transcription is slow), but effects last long.

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

Box B. Peptide hormone mechanism

Directions

Draw a target cell with its plasma membrane and cytoplasm.
Outside the cell, draw a peptide hormone (chain structure, label e.g., insulin or glucagon).
Show the hormone binding to a receptor on the OUTSIDE of the plasma membrane (it cannot cross). Label the membrane receptor.
Show the receptor activating a G-protein on the inside of the membrane. Label G-protein.
Show the G-protein activating an enzyme (e.g., adenylyl cyclase), which converts ATP to cAMP. Label the second messenger cAMP.
Show cAMP activating protein kinase A, which phosphorylates target proteins inside the cell, changing their activity.
Note: response is rapid (seconds to minutes), and amplification means one hormone produces many cellular changes.

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

1C. Structures to label (14)

After you finish each drawing, label every structure below directly on your sketch.

Steroid hormone
Plasma membrane (lipid-soluble crosses)
Cytoplasmic receptor
Hormone-receptor complex
Nucleus
DNA
Gene transcription
mRNA
Peptide hormone
Membrane receptor
G-protein
Adenylyl cyclase
cAMP (second messenger)
Protein kinase A

Part 2 of 2

Physiology Lab

2A. Steroid vs peptide comparison

Fill in the table. Then answer the two follow-up questions.

Property	Steroid hormones	Peptide hormones
Solubility (lipid / water)
Receptor location
Speed of onset (minutes / hours)
Duration of effect
Mechanism of action
Example hormone

Peptide hormones use second messengers (cAMP, IP3, Ca-squared-plus, etc.) to amplify their signal. Explain why amplification is important for water-soluble hormones acting at low concentrations.

Steroid hormones often produce long-lasting effects (hours to days). Explain mechanistically why steroid effects outlast peptide effects, and why steroid pulses are slower than peptide pulses.

2B. Synthesis questions

Answer each in 2 to 4 sentences. Use the language from this week's lecture and your drawings as evidence.

1. Cortisol (a steroid) and epinephrine (a peptide-like catecholamine) both raise blood glucose during stress. Compare their speeds of action and durations, and explain why the body uses both.

2. A patient takes oral prednisone (a synthetic steroid) for several weeks, then suddenly stops. They become very ill (Addisonian crisis). Explain mechanistically why abrupt steroid withdrawal is dangerous, in terms of feedback to the hypothalamus and pituitary.

3. Insulin is a peptide and CANNOT be taken orally. Explain mechanistically why oral insulin doesn't work, while a steroid hormone like prednisone CAN be taken orally.

3. What to submit

Day 20

Major Endocrine Glands

BIO 304 . WEEK 5 . FRIDAY . LAB WORKBOOK

Major Endocrine Glands

Pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas: who makes what, who controls them.

Print this page. You will draw your own diagrams from the directions below, then hand-label the structures listed. Drawing by hand is the integrity mechanism for this course.

Part 1 of 2

Anatomy Lab

1A. What you will draw

The major endocrine glands sit at predictable locations in the body and produce specific hormones with specific targets. Today you'll draw a body outline locating each gland, then zoom in on the pituitary and its hypothalamic control.

Box A. Endocrine gland locations

Directions

Draw a simple body outline (head, trunk, limbs).
At the base of the brain (deep inside the skull): pituitary gland. Label.
In the neck (anterior, below the larynx): thyroid gland. Label.
On top of each kidney (just above the kidneys): adrenal glands. Label.
In the abdomen, behind the stomach: pancreas. Label.
In the pelvis: ovaries (in females) or testes (in males). Label.
In the chest (upper thorax): thymus (label, large in children, smaller in adults).
Add small notes next to each gland with ONE major hormone it produces.

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

Box B. Pituitary close-up

Directions

Draw the hypothalamus (above) connected to the pituitary gland (below) by a stalk (infundibulum).
Split the pituitary into two parts: ANTERIOR pituitary (larger, glandular) and POSTERIOR pituitary (smaller, nervous tissue).
Anterior pituitary: hypothalamic neurons release releasing hormones into a portal blood system that travels to the anterior pituitary. The anterior pituitary then releases its OWN hormones into the general circulation. Label hypothalamic-pituitary portal system.
List 4 anterior pituitary hormones: TSH, ACTH, FSH/LH, GH, Prolactin (pick any 4 and label).
Posterior pituitary: hypothalamic neurons send axons directly into the posterior pituitary. Their hormones (ADH, oxytocin) are stored there and released directly into circulation.
Label ADH and oxytocin as posterior pituitary hormones.

Draw here. Sketch by hand.

1C. Structures to label (19)

After you finish each drawing, label every structure below directly on your sketch.

Hypothalamus
Pituitary gland
Anterior pituitary
Posterior pituitary
Thyroid gland
Adrenal gland
Pancreas
Ovary / Testis
Thymus
TSH
ACTH
Growth hormone (GH)
ADH (vasopressin)
Oxytocin
Insulin
Glucagon
Thyroid hormone (T3/T4)
Cortisol
Epinephrine

Part 2 of 2

Physiology Lab

2A. Gland, hormone, target, effect

Fill in the table. Pick one major hormone per gland and complete each row.

Gland	Hormone	Main target tissue	Main effect
Anterior pituitary
Thyroid (follicular cells)
Adrenal cortex
Adrenal medulla
Pancreas (beta cells)
Pancreas (alpha cells)
Posterior pituitary

Insulin and glucagon are both made by the pancreas but have opposing effects on blood glucose. Predict which is released after a meal, which during fasting, and explain how their opposing actions stabilize blood glucose.

The anterior pituitary releases trophic hormones (TSH, ACTH, FSH/LH) that act on OTHER endocrine glands. Explain why this multi-step system gives finer regulation than a single hormone acting directly, using the negative feedback concept.

2B. Synthesis questions

Answer each in 2 to 4 sentences. Use the language from this week's lecture and your drawings as evidence.

1. Type 1 diabetes destroys pancreatic beta cells. Predict the patient's blood glucose level after a meal AND after an overnight fast, and explain mechanistically what is happening in each state.

2. Cushing's syndrome is caused by excess cortisol. Predict the patient's symptoms (across blood glucose, body fat distribution, immune function, bone density). For each, explain mechanistically why cortisol produces that effect.

3. A pituitary tumor compresses the posterior pituitary and reduces ADH release (diabetes insipidus). Predict the patient's urine output, blood sodium concentration, and behavior. Why is ADH critical for water homeostasis?