Physiology of the Pituitary Gland Flashcards
Where is the supraoptic nucleus located? What is its function?
Anterolaterally above the optic tract
Secretes ADH and Oxytocin
Where is the paraventricular nucleus located? What is its function?
Dorsal anterior periventricular area
Regulates appetite and SNS, and Secretes: -TRH -CRH -ADH -VIP
What is the role of the magnocellular PVN?
Secretes ADH and oxytocin
Where is the suprachiasmatic nucleus located? What is its function?
Above the optic chiasm, anteroventral periventricular zone
Secretes:
- GHRH
- GnRH
- Dopamine
- SRIF
What part of the brain secretes ADH? Function?
Supraoptic nucleus and PVN
Osmoregulation
What part of the brain secretes TRH? Function?
Paraventricular nucleus
regulates thyroid function
What part of the brain secretes CRH? Function?
Parvocellular PVN
Regulates adrenocortical function
Besides secreting various hormones, what does the paraventricular nucleus play a role in?
regulates the SNS and appetite
What part of the brain secretes VIP? Function?
parvocellular PVN
Suprachiasmatic nucleus
What part of the brain secretes GHRH? Function?
Arcuate nucleus and ventromedial nucleus
Stimulates growth hormone
What part of the brain secretes GnRH? Function?
Arcuate nucleus
Regulation of pituitary gonadotropins
What is the function of dopamine secretion in the arcuate nucleus?
Functions as PIH
What part of the brain secretes SRIF? Function?
Periventricular and arcuate nuclei
Inhibits GHRH release
What is the “satiety” center of the brain?
Ventromedial nucleus
Where is the arcuate nucleus located? What is its function (4)?
medial basal hypothalamus; close to the third ventricle
Secretes:
- GHRH
- GnRH
- dopamine
- SRIF
Where is the periventricular nucleus located? What is its function?
Anteroventral hypothalamus
Secretes SRIF which inhibits the secretion of growth hormone
What is the function of the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus?
Functions as a satiety center, and secretes:
- GHRH
- SRIF
What is the function of the dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus?
focal point of information processing
-receives input from the VMN and lateral hypothalamus and projects to the PVN
What part of the hypothalamus functions as a hunger center? satiety center?
hunger = lateral hypothalamus Satiety = Ventromedial
What is the function of the lateral hypothalamus?
Hunger center
What is the function of the preoptic area?
GnRH
What part of the hypothalamus is the “cooling center”?
Anterior hypothalamus
What part of the hypothalamus serves as the thirst regulator?
AVOV region
What are the two functions of the anterior hypothalamus?
thermoregulation and thirst regulation
What part of the hypothalamus serves as the regulator of the circadian rhythm?
Suprachiasmatic nucleus
What is the”heating center” of the brain?
Posterior hypothalamus
What is the function of the posterior hypothalamus?
heating center
What are the four major ways in which cells communicate with one another?
Gap junctions
Synaptic
Paracrine
Endocrine
Specificity of gap junctions depends on what? Synapses? Paracrine? Endocrine?
- Gap junctions = anatomic location
- Synaptic = anatomic location and receptors
- Paracrine = receptors
- Endocrine = receptors
What is intracrine signalling?
When cells make signals that do not exit the cell
What determines the specificity of hormones, generally?
Receptors
Water soluble hormones act where? Lipid soluble?
Water soluble = cell membrane
Lipid soluble = intracellularly
GTP is bound to which protein subunit in the G-protein coupled receptor? What happens to this, as compared to the others?
Alpha subunit
Moves to activate adenylyl cyclase, whereas the gamma and beta subunit stay put
What are the three types of feedback loops that can occur with the endocrine system?
Ultra short
Short
Long
Where is the hypothalamus located in the brain?
Floor and lateral walls of the third ventricle
Suprachiasmatic nucleus receives fibers from what part of the brain to regulate body rhythms?
Retinohypothalamic
What, generally, describes the ultrashort feedback loop in the HPA axis? Short? Long?
Ultrashort = Hypothalamus acting on itself
Short = anterior pituitary feedback onto the hypothalamus
Long = target organ feeding back on the hypothalamus
The area of the hypothalamus where the portal vessels arise is what?
The median eminence
What are the two nuclei of the hypothalamus that send their axons down into the posterior pituitary?
Supraoptic
Paraventricular
What are the specialized glial cells found in the posterior pituitary?
Pituicytes
The posterior pituitary is connected to hypothalamus via what tract?
hypothalamohypophysial tract
What is SRIF?
Somatotropin release-inhibiting factor
What is PIH?
Prolactin inhibiting hormone
What is the hypothalamic nucleus that controls the circadian rhythm? What are the two places this receives input from?
-Suprachiasmatic nucleus
- Lateral geniculate nucleus
- Retinohypothalamic tract
The anterior pituitary secretes 6 hormones. 4 of them a tropic hormones. What are these?
- ACTH
- TSH
- FSH
- LH
What are tropic hormones?
Hormones that have effects on the morphology and secretory activity of other endocrine glands
What subunit of the tropic hormones determines its specificity? Which subunit do they have in common?
- Beta determines specificity
- Alpha they all have in common
Adrenocorticotropic hormone is made where?
The corticotroph cells in the anterior pituitary