The Respiratory System

MCAT Basics (from MedSchoolCoach)

MedSchoolCoach

Science

4.6 • 612 Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode, we cover the respiratory system, an important topic for the MCAT Bio/Biochem section. We'll go over the anatomy of the respiratory system, highlighting key structures such as the lungs, bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli, and explain how they contribute to respiratory functions.

You'll also learn about the main roles of the respiratory system, including gas exchange, thermoregulation, particle filtration, and maintaining blood pH. We’ll break down the mechanics of breathing, including the role of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, and how pressure changes drive air into and out of the lungs. We also cover the importance of pulmonary surfactant in preventing alveolar collapse and how partial pressures influence gas movement.

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Jump into the conversation:

(00:00) Intro

(01:02) Overview: Functions of the respiratory system

(01:28) Main Functions: Gas exchange, thermal regulation, particle filtration, pH control

(02:20) Upper Respiratory Tract: Nose, nasal cavity, sinuses, larynx, trachea

(05:00) Lower Respiratory Tract: Lungs, bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli

(09:28) Airflow Pathway: How air travels through the respiratory system

(10:23) Gas Exchange: Oxygenation and CO2 removal

(11:27) Breathing Mechanics: Diaphragm and intercostal muscles

(13:04) Pressure Differentials: How pressure changes drive airflow

(15:01) Surface Tension in Alveoli: Importance of pulmonary surfactant

(18:17) Lung Compliance and Elasticity: How lung tissue stretches and returns to shape

(21:48) Gas Exchange Process: Partial pressures of oxygen and carbon dioxide

(24:59) Partial Pressure Explained: Role in moving gases during respiration

(30:31) Thermoregulation: Maintaining body temperature through respiration

(35:59) Particle Filtration: Nasal hairs and mucous cilia system

(39:44) pH Regulation: How breathing controls blood pH

(41:18) Respiratory Control: Involuntary and voluntary mechanisms, brainstem functions

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to MCAT Basics, your ultimate guide to the essential topics you need to master for the MCAT,
0:08.0	brought to you by the physicians at Med School Coach.
0:11.0	Every week, Sam Smith breaks down high-yield MCAT topics, ensuring you're primed for success on test day.
0:17.0	Join Sam as we explore the most crucial subjects outlined by the AAMC, pulled from official
0:22.3	practice materials and third-party resources.
0:25.0	Get ready to elevate your MCAT game with topics tailored to maximize your score potential.
0:32.0	Hello, I'm Sam Smith.
0:34.0	This episode covers the respiratory system.
0:37.4	I'm first going to get into a little bit of anatomy
0:39.1	related to the respiratory system. Then I'll talk about the several different functions
0:43.3	that the respiratory system serves. Number one, that's gas exchange. I'll talk about number two,
0:48.4	thermal regulation, three, particle filtration, and fourth, I'll talk briefly about pH control. And then the very last thing
0:56.8	I'll talk about in this podcast is how the respiratory system is controlled. Now, this material is going
1:01.8	to show up on two of the MCAT sections. You get a little two-for-one action here. The first section
1:07.8	is biochem, and the second is chem-fiz. And you might be asking, wait, chem-fiz, where does that come up in the respiratory system?
1:14.8	Well, as you'll see, I get into a little bit of physics and chemistry here as I talk about gas exchange
1:19.4	and the movement of gases through the lungs.
1:22.4	So with all that said, I hope this helps in your studies and good luck to those of you who are taking the test soon.
1:37.9	Okay, so the very first thing I want to get into here is just some general anatomy related to the respiratory system. And as with all anatomy on the MCAT, I always start out by saying this,
1:43.8	is that there's no actual anatomy that you're going to be tested on the MCAT, I always start out by saying this, is that there's no actual anatomy
1:46.0	that you're going to be tested on the MCAT, so you don't got to worry about recalling these
1:50.2	different structures, maybe in recalling their location within the respiratory tract. Rather, this is
	...

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