The Pituitary Gland

Question 1

How is the pituitary gland connected to the hypothalamus?

Answer 1

Infundibulum

Question 2

What makes the pituitary gland neuroendocrine?

Answer 2

Neuro - posterior

Endocrine - Anterior

Question 3

What are tropic hormones?

Answer 3

Hormones which govern the release of another hormone (from anterior pituitary)

Question 4

All hormones secreted by the hypothalamus are what?

Answer 4

Neurohormones

Question 5

What are non-tropic hormones?

Answer 5

Neurohormones produced in the hypothalamus and travel to posterior pituitary (via axons of hypothalamic neurons) where they are released into blood.

Question 6

Non-tropic hormones travel via what?

Answer 6

Axons of the hypothalamic neurons

Question 7

What are the 5 anterior pituitary axis releasing hormones released by the hypothalamus?

Answer 7

Thyrotropin RH
Corticotropin RH
Growth Hormone RH
Gonadotropin RH
Prolactin RH

Question 8

What are the 2 anterior pituitary axis inhibiting hormones released by the hypothalamus?

Answer 8

Growth hormone inhibiting hormone (Somatostatin)

Prolactin Inhibiting Hormone (Dopamine)

Question 9

Which tropic hormone is the odd one out? Why?

Answer 9

All are peptide hormones except dopAMINE

Question 10

How do trophic hormones reach the anterior pituitary from the hypothalamus?

Answer 10

Hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal system

Question 11

Trophic hormones are released from the hypothalamus at which point?

Answer 11

Median eminence

Question 12

What is the alternate name for the pituitary gland?

Answer 12

Hypophysis

Question 13

All the hormones released by the pituitary gland are what?

Answer 13

PEPTIDES

5 are tropic - all but prolactin

Question 14

What are the anterior pituitary hormones?

Answer 14

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone
Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone
Follicle Stimulating Hormone
Luteinising Hormone
Growth hormone
Prolactin

Question 15

What is the function of prolactin?

Answer 15

Directly stimulate milk production during lactation

Question 16

Growth Hormone targets what?

Answer 16

Musculoskeletal system

Question 17

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone targets what?

Answer 17

Thyroid gland

Question 18

Adrenocorticotrophic Hormone targets what?

Answer 18

Adrenal glands

Question 19

What make up the gonadotropins?

Answer 19

Luteinising Hormone

Follicle stimulating Hormone?

Question 20

Gonadotropins target what?

Answer 20

Gonads

Question 21

What is the effect of thyroid stimulating hormone?

Answer 21

Release of Thyroid Hormone from the thyroid

Question 22

What is the effect of ACTH?

Answer 22

Cortisol release from the adrenal cortex (tropic)

Question 23

What is the effect of GH release?

Answer 23

Liver releases IGF-1 (tropic)
Tissue metabolism (direct)

Question 24

What is the effect of FSH & LH?

Answer 24

Sex hormone release (tropic)

Regulation of reproductive function (direct)

Question 25

Anterior pituitary feedback control involves which integration centres?

Answer 25

Hypothalamus Anterior pituitary Target endocrine cell

Question 26

What is long-loop feedback?

Answer 26

Feedback from the endocrine target

Question 27

What is short-loop feedback?

Answer 27

Feedback from the anterior pituitary to the hypothalamus (trophic hormone)

Question 28

The posterior pituitary stores and releases what?

Answer 28

Neurohormones: Vasopressin (ADH) Oxytocin

Question 29

Where are the neurohormones produced?

Answer 29

Magnocellular neurons in the hypothalamus | Different subsets for each

Question 30

Axons from the posterior pituitary synapse with what?

Answer 30

Directly onto the capillaries in the posterior pituitary

Question 31

Oxytocin and Vasopressin behave like what?

Answer 31

Peptide hormones

Question 32

What is the function of vasopressin?

Answer 32

Regulate water balance

Question 33

What is the function of oxytocin?

Answer 33

Milk ejection | uterine contraction

Question 34

vasopressin release is triggered by what?

Answer 34

Increased plasma osmolarity | Decreased plasma volume

Question 35

Oxytocin release is triggered by what?

Answer 35

Labour (babys head vs cervix) | Suckling

Question 36

What is the site/mode of action of vasopressin?

Answer 36

Kidney collecting ducts -> Increase water reabsorption | Vascular smooth muscle -> Increase blood pressure

Question 37

What is the site/mode of action of oxytocin?

Answer 37

Milk duct small muscle -> Contract muscle - eject milk | Uterine smooth muscle -> Child birth

Question 38

What is hyposecretion?

Answer 38

Too little hormone secreted

Question 39

What is hypersecretion?

Answer 39

Too much hormone secreted

Question 40

What are 1° endocrine disorders?

Answer 40

Defect in the cells that secrete the hormones

Question 41

What are 2° endocrine disorders?

Answer 41

Those in which there is too little or too much trophic hormone from pituitary

Question 42

What are 3° endocrine disorders?

Answer 42

Relate to hypothalamic defects

Question 43

What is hyporesponsiveness?

Answer 43

Reduce response of the target cell

Question 44

What is hyperresponsiveness?

Answer 44

Increased response of the target cell

Question 45

Hyporesponsiveness relates to what?

Answer 45

Alterations in receptor for hormone, disordered post-receptor events or failure of hormone activation

Question 46

Hyperresponsiveness relates to what?

Answer 46

Often due to permissive effects