Endocrine System Flashcards
The general purpose of hormones?
To maintain your body’s homeostasis
The chain of hormones who’s sole purpose is to trigger other hormones to produce more hormones is called?
Cascade
3 Functions of the Endocrine system?
- Produces hormones
- Releases hormones
- Reabsorbs hormones
What are the two complementary systems that work with your hormones?
Endocrine and Nervous system
The Reason for speed differences in response times of the endocrine and nervous systems.
Endocrine releases hormones through the blood while nervous system works with light speed action potentials
Name all the components of the endocrine system:
Pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid gland, pancreatic islets, thymus gland, adrenal glands, gonads,
What is a glad?
Any structure that makes or secretes a hormone
What is te master gland in the human body?
The pituitary gland
Hormones can only trigger reactions in specific general cells called?
Target cells
What is a target cell?
A cell that has a specific receptor for a specific hormone
What are the two things that hormones are derived from?
Amino acids or lipids
What does a hormone’s chemical structure determine?
Whether it’s water or fat soluble
Amino acids possess what kind of soluablity?
Water based
Steroid possess what kind of solubility?
Lipid/fat soluble
Why is the solubility important?
The cell membranes are made of lipids
Can a water soluble hormone get across a cell membrane and if so, by the aid of what?
No, by aid of cell receptors on the outsides of their membranes
With increased blood sugar, which structure produces what in response?
Pancreas releases insulin and glucagon
Which cells in the pancreas produce insulin ?
Beta cells
Basics of how insulin works
Increases the rate at which cells store sugar as glycogen or fat
Which cells in the pancreas produce glucagon?
Alpha cells
What does glucagon do and how does it do it?
Raises blood sugar levels by decreasing storage of sugar in body cells and triggering release of glucose back into the blood
What is the major Cascade of the endocrine system involving the adrenal glands?
Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis
The HPA axis is the companion to which system?
Sympathetic nervous system
What structure joins the nervous system and endocrine system?
Hypothalamus
Function of the hypothalamus
Keeps tabs on the body to analyze blood for signs of non-homeostasis
During stress, what happens to the hypothalamus?
Brain Action potentials trigger hypothalamus to release CRH
What does the CRH do?
Stimulates anterior pituitary gland to release ACTH
What does the ATCH do?
Travels through blood stream to adrenal glands
Which 2 hormones do the adrenal glands release?
- Glucocorticoid
2. Mineralocorticoid
What is the major Cascade of the endocrine system involving the thyroid gland?
Hypothalamus pituitary-thyroid axis
