Kidneys & Retroperitoneum, University of Michigan
Lab Manual | Practical Questions | Written Questions
University of Michigan provides a great resource to study renal anatomy. You can start with reviewing the lab manual, which contains objectives and dissection instructions. Then practice identifying structures with practical questions, and finally practice with written questions.
Introduction to the Urinary System, National Cancer Institute
Tutorial from the National Cancer Institute on the Urinary system. Using texts and images, it provides a good detailed overview of the anatomy including types of cells. It is followed by eight simple true/false questions to test what you remember.
Urinary System, BettySmithRN (5:45)
Good animation describing the flow through the urinary system.
Human A&P: Anatomy of the Kidney, Nephron, and Urinary System, DannyD (3:09)
A great walk-through anatomy of the kidney using models.
Kidney and posterior abdominal wall - Dissection, Human Anatomy Education (11:01)
A great video using a cadaver to walk through kidney anatomy.
Urinary System Anatomy, Laura Hechtel (18:30)
Traditional lecture style format video. Good overview of anatomy, path of blood, nephron, renal corpuscle, and filtration membrane.
Urinary System Part 1 - The Kidney, ochsnurse (5:36)
Quick overview of the anatomy. Also describes functions.
A game designed to review kidney anatomy. Contains a diagram of the kidney and player must identify what it is asking for. Be sure to turn on your speakers for sound effects.
Urinary System quiz from McGraw Hill. Try this quiz after using all the resources above in order to test your understanding.
KhanAcademyMedicine
Renal Physiology Playlist (1:00:44)
Khan Academy provides a good basic overview on how the kidneys work. This series of seven videos run about an hour and provide an intro to the kidneys, how kidneys work, how they filter waste out of the blood, how they change the rate of blood filtration, and how they make urine. It also covers the nephron, countercurrent multiplication, and secondary active transport in the Nephron.
Start with an overview on the renal system, why we need one and what it does. This website provides explanations for why the renal system works the way it does, setting up a foundation to build upon. It is about a 15 minute read.
Reabsorption in the Nephron, The PenguinProf (9:26)
A great video to accompany the text above. If you understood the text above, this is a good video to skip. If not, this might be a good video to watch as its contents resemble what was discussed in the website above, but in video format. It explains reabsorption in the nephron using textbook diagrams.
The Kidney and the Nephron, Khan Academy (18:37)
This video provides a good explanation of how nephrons work. It shows a nice step-by-step explanation of each segment of the nephron and shows what is filtered, secreted and reabsorbed in each segment.
HandWritten Tutorials
Renal Anatomy 1 - Kidney (3:19)
Renal Anatomy 2 - Nephron (5:18)
Renal Anatomy 3- Glomerular Histology (6:10)
HandWritten Tutorials describe the physiology, while drawing out the structures. Videos are well-paced. We recommend, you draw out the topics as you watch the video. Afterwards, you can use the the PDF of the drawing, found on the website.
Kidney Physiology, Armando Hasudungan (10:29)
This is another good handwritten tutorial given an overview of nephron physiology. We recommend, you draw out the topics as you watch the video. Afterwards, you can use the the PDF of the drawing, found on the website.
AK Lectures Videos 13-20
Lecturer Andrey Kopot uses a whiteboard behind him that is filled out ahead of time to describe the concepts discussed. This allows for ease of visualization to keep the big picture in mind and also allows for finding where notes are in case you missed them as he was talking. Watch videos in fullscreen mode, so you can see the notes on the whiteboard.
Structure of the Nephron (11:05)
Video describes the nephron and walks through the flow of blood as it travels through the nephron.
Structure of the Kidney (9:57)
A ten minute description to gain a better understanding of the anatomy of the kidney. Similar to Khan Academy’s The Kidney and the Nephron.
Filtration in Renal Corpuscle (11:34)
Good description of Glomerulus and Bowman's Capsule, also covers types of cells, filteration layers, and what items pass through.
Proximal Convoluted Tubule of Nephron (14:23)
Detailed description of the proximal convoluted tubule. Describes the thick and thin, ascending and descending portions of the loop. Clearly explains the functions of the loop and includes description of cells that are passed.
Countercurrent Multiplier System and Loop of Henle (16:08)
Detailed, thorough explanation on the Loop of Henle in a way that you can understand what is going on in each part.
Distal Convoluted Tubule (13:51)
Describes movements of particles through the distal convoluted tubule
Collecting Duct (9:35)
Describes function of the collecting duct in adequate detail to gain a thorough understanding. Also, discusses hormones that affect this portion of the system.
Renal Clearance, Renal Plasma Flow and Glomerular Filtration Rate (16:30)
With a simplified nephron diagram, topics are covered. Discusses three cases, which help to really bring together points learned in the videos.
Physiology of the Nephron 1, Andrew Wolf (11:30)
Uses a diagram, and then draws around it throughout presentation
This module takes about 20-25 minutes to get through, depending on how much background knowledge you already have. It is a good module for those who aren’t interested in watching videos as well as a good review for those who have already studied the segments of the nephron and what they do.
Renal Nephron Physiology
Overview of the RAAS System, Khan Academy (14:08)
A very simple to follow yet informative video on how the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone (RAAS) system works. It goes over how angiotensin, antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and aldosterone tie in together and what they do in the body.
Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System, tootRN, LLC (10:48)
This video goes over what the RAAS is. It also goes over how angiotensin and aldosterone work in the body.
Renin - Angiotensin - Aldosterone, Professor Fink (46:52)
Thorough explanation on how the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone system (RAAS) works; it also compares aldosterone with antidiuretic hormone (ADH). An overview of hypertension is given, specifically renal hypertension, and drugs that may be given. Professor is enthusiastic and lecture is engaging.
Renin Release, Armando Hasudungan (7:32)
This video illustrates the narration, resulting in a visual diagram that you can follow along. The explanation is clear and thorough. It starts with drawing the anatomy of the nephron and then goes on to focus on mechanisms of renin release.
Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System, Handwritten Tutorials (4:08)
Quick overview on the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System. Describes where the hormones come from and what they activate; video also touches on where ACE inhibitors, sartans, and spironolactone affect. VIdeo does not cover the different ways this system is activated.
Great image that incorporates a labeled nephron with items are being reabsorbed and secreted, names of hormones and diuretics affecting the different portions. A great summary tool to put together everything you’ve learned.
A blank nephron to practice what you know. Use the numbers to label each parts. Then, add in what is being reabsorbed and what’s being secreted. Then label where diuretics and hormones are affected the nephron.
Homeostasis Regulation Summary Image
This is a great image that provides a great summary of the golermous and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.
