Lesson · A.1.3
Tissues and histology
The four tissue types, their subtypes and where each one sits in the body, set out plainly for the HESI A2 Anatomy and Physiology subtest.
ObjectiveA.1.3Read6 minExam weightOrganization of the Body ≈ 24% of Anatomy & Physiology
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- Name the four basic tissue types and state the main job of each one.
- Sort epithelial tissue by shape and layering, and connective tissue by what fills the space between its cells.
- Match each of the three muscle tissue types, and nervous tissue, to its structure and its location in the body.
What the lesson concludes
- Every tissue in the body is one of four types: epithelial, connective, muscle, or nervous.
- Epithelial tissue is named by cell shape (squamous, cuboidal, columnar) and by how many layers it has (simple or stratified).
- Connective tissue is defined by its matrix, the material between its cells, which ranges from fluid (blood) to rigid (bone).
- Skeletal muscle is striated and voluntary, cardiac muscle is striated and involuntary, and smooth muscle is nonstriated and involuntary.
- Nervous tissue is built from two cell types: neurons that carry signals and neuroglia that support them.