Pulse of Physiology
Episodes
Episode 82 - Reproductive system - Parturtion and lactation
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explains the stages of labor and the hormonal regulation of childbirth and breastfeeding. Discusses the role of oxytocin and prostaglandins in labor, ...
Episode 81 - Reproductive system - Fertilization and pregnancy
23 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Follows the journey from sperm-egg fusion through blastocyst formation and implantation. Highlights the role of hCG, the formation of the placenta, an...
Episode 80 - Reproductive system - Uterine cycle
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Covers the menstrual, proliferative, and secretory phases of the uterine cycle. Describes how estrogen and progesterone prepare the endometrium for im...
Episode 79 - Reproductive system - Ovarian cycle
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explores the development and maturation of ovarian follicles through the follicular and luteal phases. Emphasizes the roles of FSH, LH, estrogen, prog...
Episode 78 - Reproductive system - Spermatogenesis
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Details the process of sperm development, distinguishing between spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis. Explains the roles of Sertoli and Leydig cells an...
Episode 77 - Reproductive system - Overview of the reproductive system
18 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Provides an introduction to the male and female reproductive systems, outlines homologous structures, and summarizes the functions of key reproductive...
Episode 76 - Digestive system - Hormonal and neural regulation of digestion
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Focuses on how the enteric nervous system (ENS), autonomic input, and digestive hormones like gastrin, secretin, and CCK regulate motility and secreti...
Episode 75 - Digestive system - Physiology of digestion
16 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Breaks down the chemical digestion of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Introduces digestive enzymes and their sources, the role of hydrochloric acid...
Episode 74 - Digestive system - Motility
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explores how food moves through the GI tract using peristalsis, segmentation, mixing waves, and mass movement. Discusses how factors like chyme compos...
Episode 73 - Digestive system - Structures and functions
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Covers the six major functions of the digestive system—ingestion, propulsion, mechanical digestion, chemical digestion, absorption, and defecation. ...
Episode 72 - Acid-base balance - Disorders of acid-base balance
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Apply your knowledge to diagnose and interpret acid-base imbalances using arterial blood gas (ABG) values. Differentiate between respiratory and metab...
Episode 71 - Acid-base balance - Compensation
11 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understand how the respiratory and urinary systems compensate for acid-base disturbances. Learn how the body responds to respiratory or metabolic acid...
Episode 70 - Acid-base balance - Introduction
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn the basics of pH regulation, including the roles of acids, bases, and buffers. Get introduced to the bicarbonate, phosphate, and protein buffer ...
Episode 69 - Fluid balance - Homeostasis of blood volume and pressure
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover how the cardiovascular, endocrine, and urinary systems respond to dehydration or hemorrhage to restore blood volume and pressure. Compare how...
Episode 68 - Fluid balance - Potassium and calcium homeostasis
09 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore how aldosterone regulates potassium levels and how parathyroid hormone (PTH) maintains calcium balance. Learn the causes and effects of hyperk...
Episode 67 - Fluid balance - Regulation of body osmolarity
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understand how the body regulates osmolarity through osmoreceptors, ADH release, and thirst mechanisms. Explore how water gain and loss affect osmolar...
Episode 66 - Fluid balance - Body fluid compartments
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Break down how total body water is distributed between the intracellular fluid (ICF) and extracellular fluid (ECF) compartments. Learn about solute co...
Episode 65 - Urinary system - Extrinsic control of GFR
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore how the sympathetic nervous system, RAAS, ADH, and natriuretic peptides regulate GFR in response to systemic blood pressure and volume changes...
Episode 64 - Urinary system - Intrinsic control of GFR
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understand how the kidneys regulate their own filtration rate using the myogenic mechanism and tubuloglomerular feedback, maintaining stable GFR despi...
Episode 63 - Urinary system - GFR
02 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn how GFR is calculated using Starling forces, how arteriole diameter affects filtration, and why GFR is a key measure of kidney function and flui...
Episode 62 - Urinary system - Nephron Structure and Osmolarity Changes
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover how different parts of the nephron contribute to urine formation and how osmolarity changes throughout. Learn how countercurrent mechanisms c...
Episode 61 - Urinary system - Functions and processes
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Review the major functions of the urinary system, including waste excretion, fluid and electrolyte balance, and blood pressure regulation. Understand ...
Episode 60 - Cardiovascular system - Starling forces
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore how hydrostatic and oncotic pressures regulate capillary exchange. Learn how net filtration pressure (NFP) drives fluid in or out of capillari...
Episode 59 - Cardiovascular system - Autoregulation
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understand how local control mechanisms adjust blood flow to match tissue demand. Explore metabolic and myogenic responses, precapillary sphincters, a...
Episode 58 - Respiratory system - Control of breathing
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn how central and peripheral chemoreceptors regulate breathing in response to CO₂, O₂, and pH levels. Understand how hyperventilation affects ...
Episode 57 - Respiratory system - Minute and alveolar ventilation
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover the difference between minute ventilation (total air movement) and alveolar ventilation (effective gas exchange). Learn how dead space reduce...
Episode 56 - Respiratory system - VQ matching
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore how the lungs regulate airflow and blood flow to optimize gas exchange. Learn how low alveolar O₂ causes vasoconstriction, high CO₂ trigge...
Episode 55 - Respiratory system - Diffusion
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understand how partial pressure gradients drive oxygen and CO₂ exchange between alveoli and blood. Learn how Fick’s Law explains the role of surfa...
Episode 54 - Respiratory system - Carbon dioxide transport
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn how CO₂ is transported in the blood as bicarbonate (HCO₃⁻), bound to hemoglobin, and dissolved in plasma. Explore the carbonic acid-bicarb...
Episode 53 - Respiratory system - Oxygen transport
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore how oxygen travels bound to hemoglobin or dissolved in plasma, and how the oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve reveals oxygen loading and unl...
Episode 52 - Respiratory system - Pulmonary volumes and capacities
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Break down pulmonary volumes (TV, IRV, ERV, RV) and capacities (IC, FRC, VC, TLC), understanding which can be directly measured and how they help asse...
Episode 51 - Respiratory system - Mechanisms of pulmonary ventilation
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover how Boyle’s Law explains air movement and how factors like compliance, airway resistance, and surfactant affect ventilation. Learn how insp...
Episode 50 - Respiratory system - Pulmonary pressures
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn about the four key pulmonary pressures—atmospheric, intra-alveolar, intrapleural, and transpulmonary—and how their changes drive inhalation ...
Episode 49 - Respiratory system - Pulmonary functions
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understand the primary and secondary functions of the respiratory system, including gas exchange, acid-base balance, and vocalization. This episode br...
Episode 48 - Cardiovascular system - Hemostasis
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the three phases of hemostasis—vascular spasm, platelet plug formation, and coagulation. Learn how fibrin stabilizes the clot and how fibrin...
Episode 51 - Respiratory system - Mechanisms of pulmonary ventilation
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover how Boyle’s Law explains air movement and how factors like compliance, airway resistance, and surfactant affect ventilation. Learn how insp...
Episode 47 - Cardiovascular system - Blood typing
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understand ABO and Rh blood groups, how antigens and antibodies determine compatibility, and why O-negative is the universal donor while AB-positive i...
Episode 46 - Cardiovascular system - Skeletal muscle and respiratory pumps
05 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn how the skeletal muscle and respiratory pumps assist venous return. Discover how muscle contractions propel blood toward the heart and how breat...
Episode 45 - Cardiovascular system - Baroreflex
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understand how the baroreflex maintains short-term blood pressure stability. This episode explains how baroreceptors in the carotid sinus and aortic a...
Episode 44 - Cardiovascular system - Blood pressure
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the determinants of blood pressure, including cardiac output, total peripheral resistance, and vessel diameter. Learn how arterioles regulate ...
Episode 43 - Cardiovascular system - Pressure-volume
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dive intopressure-volume loops, which illustrate ventricular function. This episode explainsventricular filling, isovolumic contraction, ejection, and...
Episode 42 - Cardiovascular system - Cardiac output
28 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn howheart rate and stroke volume determine cardiac output (Qc = HR × SV). This episode explainscardiac reserve, ejection fraction, and the facto...
Episode 41 - Cardiovascular system - Cardiac cycle
26 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understand themechanical and pressure changes that occur in each heartbeat. This episode coverssystolic and diastolic blood pressure, aortic pressure ...
Episode 40 - Cardiovascular system - Wiggers
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore theWiggers Diagram, a comprehensive visual of the cardiac cycle. This episode connectsventricular pressure, volume changes, ECG activity, and ...
Episode 39 - Cardiovascular system - Stroke volume
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Stroke volume—the amount of blood ejected per beat—is influenced by preload, contractility, and afterload. This episode covers the Frank-Starling ...
Episode 38 - Cardiovascular system - Cardiac muscle cells
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Cardiac muscle differs from skeletal muscle due to its autorhythmicity, intercalated discs, and plateau phase. This episode explores calcium’s role ...
Episode 37 - Cardiovascular system - Electrocardiogram
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The EKG provides a graphical representation of heart activity. This episode breaks down the P-wave, QRS complex, T-wave, and intervals, helping you un...
Episode 36 - Cardiovascular system - Conduction system of the heart
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Trace the electrical pathway of the heart, from the SA node to the Purkinje fibers. Learn how gap junctions coordinate contraction, how AV node delay ...
Episode 35 - Cardiovascular system - Heart rate
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Heart rate is influenced by sympathetic and parasympathetic control, chronotropic agents, and venous return. This episode examines how heart rate affe...
Episode 34 - Cardiovascular system - Cardiac pacemaker cells
19 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Uncover how cardiac pacemaker cells generate the electrical impulses that drive the heartbeat. This episode explains pacemaker potential drift, the ro...
Episode 33 - Cardiovascular system - Blood
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the composition and functions of blood, including plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Learn how hemoglobin transports o...
Episode 32 - Cardiovascular system - Functions
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover the essential functions of the cardiovascular system, including oxygen and nutrient transport, waste removal, and homeostasis regulation. Thi...
Episode 31 - Muscular system - Whole muscle contraction
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do individual muscle fibers work together to generate movement? This episode discusses isometric vs. isotonic contractions, concentric vs. eccentr...
Episode 30 - Muscular system - Skeletal muscle contraction
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn how muscle twitches, summation, and tetanus affect contraction strength. This episode covers the length-tension relationship, force-velocity rel...
Episode 29 - Muscular system - Skeletal muscle metabolism
12 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Muscles need ATP to function, but how do they produce it? This episode explains the creatine phosphate system, glycolysis, and oxidative phosphorylati...
Episode 28 - Muscular system - Skeletal muscle fiber types
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Not all muscle fibers are created equal! This episode examines Type I (slow oxidative), Type IIa (fast oxidative-glycolytic), and Type IIx (fast glyco...
Episode 27 - Muscular system - Cross-bridge cycling
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the molecular mechanism behind muscle contraction. This episode breaks down the cross-bridge cycle, including the roles of ATP, myosin, and ac...
Episode 26 - Muscular system - Excitation-contraction coupling
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Delve into the process that links electrical signals to muscle contraction. This episode covers how calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum ex...
Episode 25 - Muscular system - Functions and anatomy
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Start your journey into the muscular system with an overview of muscle tissue functions, the anatomy of a sarcomere, and the neuromuscular junction. T...
Episode 24 - Endocrine system - Hormones
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the major hormones produced by the pituitary gland, adrenal gland, and other endocrine organs. Learn how these hormones regulate processes l...
Episode 23 - Endocrine system - Hypothalamus and pituitary
05 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover the powerful relationship between the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. This episode explains how these structures coordinate hormone release...
Episode 22 - Endocrine system - Functions and control
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn about the endocrine system’s role in regulating homeostasis, growth, metabolism, and reproduction. This episode highlights the types of hormon...
Episode 21 - Special senses - Vision
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore how the visual system converts light into electrical signals. This episode covers the pathway of light through the eye, the anatomy of the ret...
Episode 20 - Special senses - Hearing
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Take a deep dive into the auditory system. Learn how the ear processes sound waves into electrical signals, the role of hair cells in transduction, an...
Episode 19 - Special senses - Sensory receptors
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover how sensory receptors detect stimuli and convert them into electrical signals. This episode introduces the types of receptors, including phot...
Episode 18 - Nervous system - Autonomic nervous system
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn about the sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system. This episode explains their roles in maintaining homeostasi...
Episode 17 - Nervous system - Neurotransmitters
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Unpack the chemistry of neurotransmission with an exploration of cholinergic and adrenergic receptors. This episode covers how neurotransmitters like ...
Episode 16 - Nervous system - G-proteins
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the world of G-proteins, the molecular switches that regulate cell signaling. Learn how G-proteins activate second messenger pathways (e.g.,...
Episode 15 - Nervous system - Reflexes
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the role of reflexes in protecting the body and maintaining homeostasis. This episode explains reflex arcs, differentiates between intrinsic a...
Episode 14 - Nervous system - Synapse
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the intricacies of chemical synapses, where neurons communicate with other cells. Learn about the structures involved, the steps of synaptic...
Episode 13 - Nervous system - Refractory periods
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the critical role of refractory periods in neuronal signaling. This episode explains the differences between absolute and relative refractory ...
Episode 12 - Nervous system - Action potential conduction
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore how action potentials travel along neurons in this episode. Learn about continuous conduction in unmyelinated axons and the faster, energy-eff...
Episode 11 - Nervous system - Action potentials
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover how neurons send electrical signals with action potentials. This episode explains the phases of an action potential—depolarization, repolar...
Episode 10 - Nervous system - Graded potentials
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn about graded potentials and how they differ from action potentials. This episode explains depolarization, hyperpolarization, EPSPs, IPSPs, and h...
Episode 9 - Nervous system - Functions and channels
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Take a big-picture look at the nervous system, its sensory, integration, and motor functions, and how feedback loops regulate the body. Understand the...
Episode 8 - Cell biology - Membrane potential
17 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Unpack the basics of membrane potential and how it arises from ion gradients and permeability. Discover the sodium-potassium pump’s role in maintain...
Episode 7 - Cell biology - Transport mechanisms
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore how substances move across the cell membrane via diffusion, osmosis, active transport, and exocytosis. Learn about tonicity, osmolarity, and t...
Episode 6 - Cell biology - Cellular respiration
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Break down the process of cellular respiration into its three stages: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain. Understand how ce...
Episode 5 - Cell biology - Enzymes
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Learn how enzymes act as biological catalysts to speed up reactions. This episode covers enzyme function, the factors affecting their activity, and th...
Episode 4 - Cell biology - Cell membrane
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Uncover the dynamic structure of the cell membrane and its selective permeability. Explore the phospholipid bilayer, membrane proteins, and the role o...
Episode 3 - Core concepts - Cell-to-cell communication
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Discover how cells communicate through chemical messengers, receptors, and signal transduction. This episode highlights the nervous and endocrine syst...
Episode 2 - Core concepts - Flow-down gradients
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dive into the principles of gradients and how they drive the movement of substances like ions, gases, and blood. Understand the interplay of concentra...
Episode 1 - Core concepts - Homeostasis
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the body's balancing act with an introduction to homeostasis. Learn how feedback loops maintain stability, why equilibrium isn’t the goal, a...