Bio - The endocrine system

Question 1

What do the endocrine and nervous systems work very closely together to do?

Answer 1

Regulate the physiological processes of the human body.

Question 2

How does the endocrine system send its signals?

Answer 2

Uses blood vessels to deliver hormones to their target sites in the body.

Question 3

What is the hypothalamus and what does it do?

Answer 3

Brain region controlling the pituitary gland.

Question 4

What does the pituitary gland do?

Answer 4

Secretes many different hormones, some of which affect other glands.

Question 5

Where is the pituitary gland?

Answer 5

Below the hypothalamus.

Question 6

What do the adrenal glands do?

Answer 6

Help trigger the fight or flight response by producing adrenaline.

Question 7

Where are the adrenal glands?

Answer 7

On top of the kidneys.

Question 8

What do the testes do?

Answer 8

Secrete male sex hormone - testosterone.

Question 9

What do the ovaries do?

Answer 9

Secrete female sex hormones - oestrogen and progesterone.

Question 10

What do hormones do?

Answer 10

Regulate the activity of cells or organs in the body.

Question 11

What are the major glands of the endocrine system?

Answer 11

Pituitary gland, adrenal glands and reproductive organs (ovaries and testes).

Question 12

What is the endocrine system regulated by?

Answer 12

Feedback.

Question 13

What do hormones act on?

Answer 13

Target cells.

Question 14

What is critical for normal functioning?

Answer 14

Timing of hormone release.

Question 15

What can too high level of cortisol lead to?

Answer 15

Cushing’s syndrome.

Question 16

What is Cushing’s syndrome caused by?

Answer 16

Too high level of cortisol.

Question 17

What is Cushing’s syndrome characterised by?

Answer 17

High BP and depression.

Question 18

What is the most common cause of excess cortisol?

Answer 18

A tumour in the pituitary gland which makes too much of a hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) which stimulates the adrenal glands to make too much cortisol.

Question 19

What is the primary function of the pituitary gland?

Answer 19

To influence the release of hormones from other glands and regulate many of the body’s functions.

Question 20

What is the pituitary gland controlled by?

Answer 20

The hypothalamus.

Question 21

What are the 2 main parts of the pituitary gland?

Answer 21

The anterior (front) pituitary and the posterior (back) pituitary.

Question 22

What does the anterior pituitary release?

Answer 22

ACTH as a response to stress. This stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol.

LH (luteinising hormone).
FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone).

Question 23

What does the posterior pituitary release?

Answer 23

Oxytocin which stimulates contraction of the uterus during childbirth and is important for mother-infant bonding.

Question 24

Why do target cells only respond to a particular hormone?

Answer 24

Because they have receptor cells for that hormone - cells without these specific receptor cells are not affected.

Question 25

What is each adrenal gland made up of?

Answer 25

2 distinct parts - outer part is the adrenal cortex and inner region is the adrenal medulla.

Question 26

Which part of the adrenal gland releases hormones that are necessary for life?

Answer 26

Adrenal cortex.

Question 27

What is the difference in function between the adrenal cortex and the adrenal medulla?

Answer 27

The hormone released by the adrenal cortex are necessary for life whereas those released by the adrenal medulla are not.

Question 28

What hormones does the adrenal cortex produce?

Answer 28

Cortisol.

Aldosterone.

Question 29

What does cortisol do?

Answer 29

Regulates/supports a variety of important bodily functions including cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory functions.

Question 30

When is cortisol production increased?

Answer 30

In response to stress.

Question 31

What are the consequences of the level of cortisol being too low?

Answer 31

The individual has low bp, poor immune function and an inability to deal with stress.

Question 32

What does aldosterone do?

Answer 32

Maintains blood volume and bp.

Question 33

What hormones does the adrenal medulla release?

Answer 33

Adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Question 34

What are the ovaries responsible for?

Answer 34

The production of eggs and for the hormones oestrogen and progesterone.

Question 35

What has progesterone been associated with?

Answer 35

Heightened sensitivity to social cues that indicate the presence of social opportunity or threat that would be significant in the case of pregnancy (Maner and Miller, 2014).

Question 36

What does testosterone cause?

Answer 36

The development of male characteristics such as growth of facial hair, deepening of the voice and the growth spurt that takes place during puberty.

Also plays a role in sex drive, sperm production and maintenance of muscle strength, and is associated with overall health and well-being in men.

Question 37

What is testosterone production controlled by?

Answer 37

The hypothalamus and the pituitary gland.

Question 38

How is testosterone production controlled by the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland?

Answer 38

The hypothalamus instructs the pituitary gland on how much testosterone to produce, and the pituitary gland passes this message on to the testes.

Question 39

Define endocrine glands

Answer 39

Special groups of cells within the endocrine system, whose function is to produce and secrete hormones.

Question 40

What is the endocrine system?

Answer 40

A network of glands throughout the body that manufacture and secrete chemical messengers known as hormones.

Question 41

Define hormones

Answer 41

The body’s chemical messengers. They travel through the bloodstream, influencing many different processes including mood, the stress response and bonding between mother and newborn baby.

Question 42

What is the pituitary gland?

Answer 42

The ‘master gland’, whose primary function is to influence the release of hormones from other glands.