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The endocrine system Flashcards

1
Q

What is the endocrine system made up of?

A

A collection of glands

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2
Q

What do glands do?

A

Secrete hormones into the blood stream

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3
Q

What does the endocrine system do?

A

Communicates and coordinates internal body functions

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4
Q

Why is the endocrine system slower than the nervous system?

A

The endocrine system depends on the circulatory system so must circle in the blood on one path until it reaches target organ

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5
Q

What is the hypothalamus?

A

A region of the brain (a gland) which plays a part in both the endocrine and the sympathetic NS

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6
Q

What does the pituitary gland do?

A

Has three parts of which it secretes many hormones (control of growth, function of sex organs and osmoregulation (water homeostasis))

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7
Q

What does the thyroid gland do?

A

Regulate growth and functions of body systems and regulates blood calcium levels

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8
Q

What does the pancreas do?

A

Regulate blood sugar via production of insulin and glucagon

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9
Q

What do the adrenal glands do?

A

Involved in the fight or flight response through adrenaline, regulates blood pressure via the hormone aldosterone

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10
Q

What are some of the endocrine glands?

A

The pituitary gland, thyroid gland, pancreas, adrenal glands, ovaries, testes

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11
Q

What do the ovaries do as a gland?

A

Produce oestrogen and progesterone (sex hormones)

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12
Q

What is a gland?

A

Any structure that makes and secretes a hormone

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13
Q

Which is the major gland and why?

A

The pituitary as it produces many hormones that signal other glands to make their own hormones

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14
Q

How are hormones specific to their function?

A

Each hormone can only trigger a reaction in specific cells (their target cells)

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15
Q

How do hormones effect their target cells?

A

By increasing or decreasing some of its functions - usually to maintain its homeostasis

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16
Q

In the pancreas which two cells are present?

A

Beta cells and alpha cells

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17
Q

What do beta cells in the pancreas do?

A

Release insulin (if sugar high)

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18
Q

What do alpha cells in the pancreas do?

A

Release glucagon (if sugar low)

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19
Q

What do the testes do as a gland?

A

Produce androgen hormones - involved in the development of maleness and sperm production

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20
Q

What are hormones?

A

Chemical messengers secreted by cells into the blood stream to reach target tissue cells

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21
Q

What do the receiving target cells need to be able to accept the message of a hormone?

A

A complimentary receptor for that specific hormone

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22
Q

Benefits of hormones?

A

Regulate metabolic functions of other cells
Act at long distances
Effects can last days

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23
Q

How might hormones bring about effects in altering cell activity?

A

Stimulate synthesis of an enzyme/mitosis

Increase/decrease rate of synthesis

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24
Q

What things do hormones control?

A 
Reproduction
Growth/development
Homeostasis
Cellular metabolism
Body defences
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25
What type of hormone is insulin?
Peptide or protein
26
What type of hormone is a thyroid hormone?
Amino acid derivatives
27
What are some examples of steroid hormones?
Cortisone, aldosterone, oestrogen, testosterone, progesterone
28
What type of hormone is a prostaglandins hormone?
A fatty acid derivative
29
What does the hypothalamus control?
The pituitary gland
30
What does the hypothalamus do physically?
Releases 'releasing factors' to stimulate other endocrine glands to release or stop releasing hormones
31
What three mechanisms cause hormones to be released?
Humoral stimulus Neural stimulus Hormonal stimulus
32
What is Humoral stimulus?
A hormone releasing mechanism caused by altered levels of critical ions/nutrients
33
What is Neural stimulus?
A hormone releasing mechanism caused by neural input
34
What is Hormonal stimulus?
A hormone releasing mechanism caused by another hormone (tropic hormone)
35
What is a tropic hormone?
Any class of hormone from the anterior pituitary gland that affects the secretion of other endocrine glands
36
Where is the pituitary gland situated?
Just under your hypothalamus, in your brain
37
What is the control centre of the brain?
The hypothalamus
38
How does the hypothalamus work?
It stimulates activities which can have effects on the rest of the body (does so via nerve impulses and chemical messages via hormones)
39
Explain how the hypothalamus stimulates the anterior pituitary gland to produce hormones?
By sending CHEMICAL messages through the blood stream to the anterior pituitary and it instructs it to release hormones
40
How does the hypothalamus stimulate the pituitary gland to produce hormones?
By sending NERVE messages to the posterior pituitary and and instructing it to release hormones
41
What are the 2 hormones produced by the posterior pituitary?
Oxytocin and antidiuretic
42
What is a diuretic?
'water pills' - medication to increase the amount of water and salt expelled from the body as urine (can treat high blood pressure)
43
What is an antidiuretic?
A medication to reduce urine output
44
What is the function of the growth hormone?
It maintains norm body structure and metabolism
45
What is the function of the Adrenocorticotropic hormone?
It causes adrenal glands to secrete more cortisol (also produces triggers to increase production of (nor)adrenaline
46
What is the function of the Follicle stimulating hormone?
In women FSH helps control the menstrual cycle and stimulates egg growth in ovaries, in men FSH helps control production of sperm
47
What is the function of the Luteinising hormone?
Regulates the function of the ovaries in women and the testes in men through stimulating testosterone production
48
What is the function of the thyroid stimulating hormone?
Controls production of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland (making thyroxine & triiodothyronine)
49
What is the function of the prolactin hormone?
Contributes to physiologic functions, mainly milk production and development of mammary glands in breast tissue
50
What hormones are produced in the anterior pituitary?
Growth, adrenocorticotrophic, follicle stimulating, luteinsing, thyroid stimulating and prolactin
51
Which hormones are produced in the intermediate pituitary?
Melanocyte stimulating hormone
52
What is the function of the melanocyte stimulating hormone?
A group of hormones produced by the pituitary gland/hypothalamus/skin cells which helps development of pigmentation, control of appetite and protection of skin from UV rays
53
What is the function of the antidiuretic hormone?
Helps control BP by acting on the kidneys/blood vessels, saves fluid volume by reducing the amount of water passed as urine
54
What is the function of the oxytocin hormone?
Acts on organs (breast and uterus) and works as a chem messenger in brain controlling aspects of the reproductive system
55
What hormones are produced in the posterior pituitary?
Antidiuretic hormone and oxytocin
56
What does the hypothalamic-pituitary axis do?
Uses feedback loops and interactions to control the release of hormones (regulating the body's response to stress and other things)
57
What is negative feedback?
When something is not at 'norm' level, the body takes action to revert it back to norm (e.g a drop in blood pressure will need an increase to revert it to norm)
58
What is positive feedback?
A process in which the end product of an action causes more that same action to then occur, in feedback loop (e.g No. of cattle running increases overall panic level, the increase in this panic level will then increase the number of cattle running)
59
What is the pineal gland?
A photosensitive organ which produces and regulates melatonin
60
What is melatonin?
A hormone produced by the pineal gland which regulates their sleep-wake cycle
61
What is the thyroid gland?
An endocrine gland in the neck which makes/stores hormones to regulate HR/BP/temp/rate of food to energy conversion
62
What two hormones does the thyroid gland produce?
Thyroxine T4 and Triiodothyronine T3
63
What is hypothyroidism?
Where your thyroid gland isn't producing enough thyroxine or triiodothyronine, and therefore the body functions and body cells work slower (feeling lethargic and putting on weight)
64
What is hyperthyroidism?
Where your thyroid gland produces too many hormones, so body cells work faster than normal (causes weight loss, increased hunger and anxiety/shakiness)
65
What happens if the hypothalamus detects that T3 and T4 levels are low?
Hypothalamus releases thyroid-releasing hormones into the blood, The increase in TRH makes the pituitary gland release TSH (stimulating), which stimulates the thyroid gland to produce T3 and T4
66
What does the pancreas do?
Makes insulin, makes glucagon
67
What does insulin do?
Needed to metabolise glucose
68
What does glucagon do?
Needed to release stored glucose
69
Where are insulin and glucagon produced?
In the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas
70
Where are the adrenal glands sit?
They sit on top of each kidney
71
What makes up the adrenal glands?
A central medulla, surrounded by a cortex
72
What does the adrenal medulla secrete?
Noradrenaline and adrenaline
73
What does the secretion of noradrenaline from the adrenal medulla cause?
Vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels)
74
What does the secretion of adrenaline from the adrenal medulla cause?
Increase in the actions of the sympathetic NS )important in fight or flight)
75
What does the adrenal cortex produce?
Aldosterone, cortisol and sex hormones androgen oestrogen
76
What is the purpose of aldosterone?
Causes sodium and water to be reabsorbed from the kidneys - increasing blood volume and blood pressure
77
What does production of cortisol from the adrenal cortex cause?
Increases blood sugars, enhances brains use of glucose and increases availability of substances which repair tissues
78
What do androgens do?
In both male and female but cause male traits and are involved in reproductive activity
79
What does oestrogen do?
In both males and females but mainly responsible for development and regulation of female reproductive system and sex characteristics
80
What does the Follicle-stimulating hormone do to the testes?
Makes them produce androgens - causing the seminiferous tubules to produce sperm and the cells to produce testosterone
81
What is diabetes mellitus?
A disorder of the endocrine system related to lack of insulin production
82
What happens in Diabetes Mellitus type 1?
Where the body's immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin (islets of langerhans)
83
What happens in Diabetes Mellitus type 2?
The body either does not produce enough insulin or the body's cells do not respond to insulin
84
What happens in Diabetes Insipidus?
Unrelated to diabetes, rare condition where you wee alot and are extremely thirsty
85
What causes Diabetes Insipidus?
A lack of production of AVP means the kidneys cannot make enough concentrated urine so too much water is passed out the body
86
What is AVP?
Vasopressin (AVP)/ antidiuretic hormone (ADH) - AVP passes from hypothalamus to pituitary where stored until needed, its released when water levels in body are low - retaining water and making concentrated urine

The endocrine system (1 decks)

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