Day 14 - The Pituitary Gland: Part One

The pituitary gland is about the size of a pea. It is in the most inferior part of the brain and it is sits in what looks like a saddle, part of the bottom of the skull. The pituitary gland is connected to the hypothalamus by infundibulum, which looks like a stalk.There are two different parts of the pituitary gland, the adenohypophysis, anterior lobe, and the neurohypophysis, the posterior lobe.

The anterior pituitary mostly controls hormones in the body. These hormones usually end in tropin, meaning they "feed" the target cells with hormones needed for that site. They do not literally feed them but it is kind of like a homeostatic atmosphere that the anterior pituitary will keep the target cells at.

These are the hormones that the pitutary gland produces:

• growth hormones (GH- somatotropin),
• thyroid-stimiulation homones (TSH- thyrotropin),
• adrenocorticotropic hormones (ACTH- corticotropin),
• follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH- folliculotropin),
• luteinizing hormones (LH- luteotropin),
• prolactin (PRL).

The posterior pituitary has two hormones that it secretes:

• antidiuretic hormone (ADH)
• and oxytocin.

http://lynlaukimdak.wikispaces.com/04.+Endocrinology