Blood Flow: Kidney

We all know the heart is a critical organ in regulating blood flow throughout our bodies, but did you know the kidneys are as well? All of the blood in your body circulates through the kidney several times each day. The kidney is a remarkably intricate organ that plays a vital role in filtering the blood to remove wastes and excess fluids from the body. Healthy kidney function is essential to maintaining homeostasis within the body and without them, your body would fill with extra water and waste products. In this chapter, you will be introduced to the anatomy and vasculature within the kidney as well as the overall fluid flux and hormonal regulation of the kidney.

Here is a list of subchapters that will direct you to the corresponding page:

  1. Kidney Basic Function and Anatomy
  2. Kidney Vasculature
  3. Glomerular Filtration
  4. Tubular Reabsorption
  5. Regulation of Fluid Volume
  6. Hormonal Regulation
  7. Chapter Review

 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to…
  • Describe and label the anatomical structures of the kidney and understand their relationship to the functions of the kidney.
  • Identify the major vasculature associated with the kidney and trace the path of blood throughout.
  • Understand the mechanisms to control and regulate the kidney vasculature.
  • Explain how the kidney filters the blood to produce urine.
  • Understand the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), including the hydrostatic and osmotic forces that favour and oppose filtration.
  • Describe the mechanisms that regulate glomerular filtration rate
  • Explain the regulation of renal blood flow and capillary hydrostatic pressure.
  • Describe reabsorption and secretion of ions, water and other particles in the proximal convoluted tubule, distal convoluted tubule, and the loop of Henle.
  • Explain the hormones associated with the kidney and their stimulus for release as well as their influence on blood pressure and blood volume.
  • Understand the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.

Blood Flow: Kidney Podcasts

The podcast and paired transcript for this chapter will summarize the key concepts of each subchapter and provide helpful insight as well as examples that could be useful while studying. The podcast does not describe all of the content from this chapter, but it highlights the tricky concepts to hopefully make them clearer. When learning elaborate processes like hormonal regulation and glomerular filtration rate, it is commonly recommended to have a conversation with a classmate to gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between all the different variables. Listening to this podcast will feel like a discussion with a classmate, which could be a great way to review for tests!

 

“Blood Flow: Kidney Podcast” by Erica Robertson and Santana Ferreira is all rights reserved.

 

The following list of hyperlinks will take you to each of the topics discussed in the podcast:

  1. Anatomy of the Kidney
  2. Types of Nephrons
  3. Tips for Anatomy
  4. Blood Flow in the Kidney
  5. Vasculature of the Kidney
  6. Autoregulation and the Myogenic Response
  7. Levels of Control for Afferent and Efferent Arterioles
  8. Function fo the Kidney
  9. Filtration and the Glomerular Filtration Rate
  10. Details of Glomerular Filtration Rate Regulation
  11. Reabsorption
  12. Regulation of Hormones for Kidney Function
    1. ADH
    2. Renin
    3. Angiotensin II
    4. Aldosterone
    5. ANP
  13. Tachycardia and Decreased Mean Arterial Pressure Example
  14. Decreased Glomerular Filtration Rate Example

 

License

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Human Physiology Copyright © by Human Physiology Students from University of Guelph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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