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The pituitary gland or hypophysis is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans , the pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain , protruding off the bottom of the hypothalamus . The human pituitary gland is oval shaped , about 1 cm in diameter, 0.5–1 gram (0.018–0.035 oz) in weight on average, and about the size of a kidney bean .
The pituitary gland is divided into three lobes: the anterior pituitary, the intermediate pituitary lobe, and the posterior pituitary. The hypothalamus controls the anterior pituitary's hormone secretion by sending releasing factors, called tropic hormones , down the hypothalamo-hypophysial portal system. [ 3 ]
The hypothalamus is located in the brain and secretes GnRH. [1] GnRH travels down the anterior portion of the pituitary via the hypophyseal portal system and binds to receptors on the secretory cells of the adenohypophysis. [2] In response to GnRH stimulation these cells produce LH and FSH, which travel into the blood stream. [3]
The anterior pituitary (also called the adenohypophysis or pars anterior) is a major organ of the endocrine system.The anterior pituitary is the glandular, anterior lobe that together with the posterior pituitary (or neurohypophysis) makes up the pituitary gland (hypophysis) which, in humans, is located at the base of the brain, protruding off the bottom of the hypothalamus.
The pars intermedia is one of the three parts of the anterior pituitary. It is a section of tissue sometimes called a middle or intermediate lobe, between the pars distalis, and the posterior pituitary. [1] It is a small region that is largely without blood supply. [2] The cells in the pars intermedia are large and pale.
Specialized groups of neuroendocrine cells can be found at the base of the third ventricle in the brain (in a region called the hypothalamus). This area controls most anterior pituitary cells and thereby regulates functions in the entire body, like responses to stress, cold, sleep, and the reproductive system.
Schematic of the HPA axis (CRH, corticotropin-releasing hormone; ACTH, adrenocorticotropic hormone) Hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal cortex The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis or HTPA axis) is a complex set of direct influences and feedback interactions among three components: the hypothalamus (a part of the brain located below the thalamus), the pituitary gland (a ...
Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH), is due to problems with either the hypothalamus or pituitary gland affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG axis). [1] Hypothalamic disorders result from a deficiency in the release of gonadotropic releasing hormone ( GnRH ), while pituitary gland disorders are due to a deficiency in the release ...