Digestive System and Liver

What this unit covers

The unit follows food through the gut and into the liver. The mind map GI Tract Overview sets out the structure of the gut wall, its electrical activity and its nerve supply. Other maps and decks move on to the mouth, swallowing, the stomach, the small intestine, the colon and the liver.

Where to start

Begin with the big picture. Open GI Tract Overview, then Chemical Digestion and Absorption of Nutreints, which sorts carbohydrates, proteins and lipids and looks at the enterocyte. After that, go to the stomach with Stomach: Gastric Secretion, Motility and Emptying. It covers oxyntic glands, acid, pepsinogen, mucus and the cephalic, gastric and intestinal control pathways.

Using maps and quizzes together

Read a map first, then test yourself straight away. Here is a simple order:

1. Study one map, such as Swallowing or Impaired Liver Function.
2. Take a quiz on the same topic, for example Bile and the Biliary System, a fill-in-the-blanks journey of bile from liver cells to the duodenum.
3. Go through a flashcard deck such as Gastric Acid Secretion to fix the terms you missed.
4. Return to the map and fill any gaps.

For broader checks, try Digestive System Quiz and Alimentary Physiology, which ask about the functions of the GI tract as a whole.

The liver and metabolism

Liver material includes maps on impaired liver function, liver function tests and bile, plus a flowchart on how blood reaches the liver. Impaired Liver Function separates hepatocellular injury from cholestasis and lists some causes of each.

Where it sits

This unit belongs to the strand Digestion, Metabolism and Thermoregulation in Physiology. Teachers can pick out single maps or quizzes to set alongside their own lessons. Choose one topic today and see how much you remember.