Hormones Flashcards
Pituitary gland
Sits underneath the hypothalamus (Hypothalamus meaning-lower than the thalamus), Has two lobes- Anterior is bigger, at the front of the brain, Posterior is smaller, at the back of the brain
Hypothalamus
Secretes releasing and inhibiting factors (hormones) into the blood that target the cells of the anterior pituitary causing it to produce and secrete/inhibit the desired hormone
What does the anterior pituitary secrete
Growth hormone, Follicle stimulating hormone, Luteinising hormone, Thyroid stimulating hormone, Adrenocorticotropic hormone, Prolactin
Growth hormone
Targets all cells of the body (need everything to grow), Stimulates body growth of the skeleton by increasing the rate at which amino acids are built into proteins, Increases muscle mass and bone density, Peaks at 20 and then declines
Follicle stimulating hormone
Targets the ovary in females and testes in males, Females- stimulates the development of follicles which contain eggs, Males- stimulates production and development of sperm, Attaches to receptors of the cell membrane
Luteinizing hormone
Targets the ovary in females and testes in males, Females- stimulates ovulation (release of egg from the ovary’s) and the development of the corpus luteum, Males- stimulates interstitial cells in the testes to secrete testosterone (dominant hormone in males)
Thyroid stimulating hormone
Targets the thyroid gland (in the neck), Stimulates the release of hormones from the thyroid such as thyroxine, Water soluble
Andrenocorticotrophin (ACTH)
Targets the adrenal cortex (in the kidneys adrenal gland), Stimulates the release of corticosteroid hormones from the adrenal cortex, Relates to biological stress (works with sympathetic nervous system)
Prolactin
Targets the mammary glands, Initiates and maintains milk secretion in females
Antidiuretic hormone/vasopressin
Targets distal convoluted tubule and collecting duct of the nephron in the kidneys to remove water from urine and return it to the blood stream, Inhibited by alcohol, Causes secondary messengers within the cell to activate cellular enzymes, If there is a lot of ADH there would be an increased concentration of urine but less quantity
Oxytocin
Targets the muscles of the uterus and the mammary glands/breasts, Causes contractions of the muscles in the uterus during childbirth, Causes contractions of the mammary cells which results in the release of milk during breast feeding
Types of hormones
Amino acid hormone/protein amine hormone- Any hormone released form the pituitary gland, “Ine”
Steroid hormone- lipid soluble, “ol” or “one”, E.g testosterone
Thyroid gland
Produces thyroxine which is made from iodine and an amino acid, Thyroxine targets most cells and regulates metabolic rate by regulating energy production from cell respiration (glucose + O2 —> Energy (ATP and heat) + CO2 + H20), Thyroxine increases body temperature as some energy produced is heat energy, Produces calcitonin which promotes storage of calcium in the bones instead of the blood and thus reduces blood calcium levels- prevents osteoporosis
Hyperthyroidism
When the thyroid produces too much thyroxine, Symptoms- Goiter- enlargement of the thyroid gland, Exophthalmos- bulging eyeballs
Hypothyroidism
Not enough thyroxine produced meaning a person becomes constantly fatigued