The endocrine system Flashcards
What is the endocrine system made up of?
A collection of glands
What do glands do?
Secrete hormones into the blood stream
What does the endocrine system do?
Communicates and coordinates internal body functions
Why is the endocrine system slower than the nervous system?
The endocrine system depends on the circulatory system so must circle in the blood on one path until it reaches target organ
What is the hypothalamus?
A region of the brain (a gland) which plays a part in both the endocrine and the sympathetic NS
What does the pituitary gland do?
Has three parts of which it secretes many hormones (control of growth, function of sex organs and osmoregulation (water homeostasis))
What does the thyroid gland do?
Regulate growth and functions of body systems and regulates blood calcium levels
What does the pancreas do?
Regulate blood sugar via production of insulin and glucagon
What do the adrenal glands do?
Involved in the fight or flight response through adrenaline, regulates blood pressure via the hormone aldosterone
What are some of the endocrine glands?
The pituitary gland, thyroid gland, pancreas, adrenal glands, ovaries, testes
What do the ovaries do as a gland?
Produce oestrogen and progesterone (sex hormones)
What is a gland?
Any structure that makes and secretes a hormone
Which is the major gland and why?
The pituitary as it produces many hormones that signal other glands to make their own hormones
How are hormones specific to their function?
Each hormone can only trigger a reaction in specific cells (their target cells)
How do hormones effect their target cells?
By increasing or decreasing some of its functions - usually to maintain its homeostasis
In the pancreas which two cells are present?
Beta cells and alpha cells
What do beta cells in the pancreas do?
Release insulin (if sugar high)
What do alpha cells in the pancreas do?
Release glucagon (if sugar low)
What do the testes do as a gland?
Produce androgen hormones - involved in the development of maleness and sperm production
What are hormones?
Chemical messengers secreted by cells into the blood stream to reach target tissue cells
What do the receiving target cells need to be able to accept the message of a hormone?
A complimentary receptor for that specific hormone
Benefits of hormones?
Regulate metabolic functions of other cells
Act at long distances
Effects can last days
How might hormones bring about effects in altering cell activity?
Stimulate synthesis of an enzyme/mitosis
Increase/decrease rate of synthesis
What things do hormones control?
Reproduction Growth/development Homeostasis Cellular metabolism Body defences
What type of hormone is insulin?
Peptide or protein
What type of hormone is a thyroid hormone?
Amino acid derivatives
What are some examples of steroid hormones?
Cortisone, aldosterone, oestrogen, testosterone, progesterone
What type of hormone is a prostaglandins hormone?
A fatty acid derivative
What does the hypothalamus control?
The pituitary gland
What does the hypothalamus do physically?
Releases ‘releasing factors’ to stimulate other endocrine glands to release or stop releasing hormones
What three mechanisms cause hormones to be released?
Humoral stimulus
Neural stimulus
Hormonal stimulus
What is Humoral stimulus?
A hormone releasing mechanism caused by altered levels of critical ions/nutrients
What is Neural stimulus?
A hormone releasing mechanism caused by neural input
What is Hormonal stimulus?
A hormone releasing mechanism caused by another hormone (tropic hormone)