Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

SF6: Organs of Special Senses and Endocrine Systems > W1 Anatomy and Microanatomy of the Endocrine System > Flashcards

W1 Anatomy and Microanatomy of the Endocrine System Flashcards

1
Q

name four of the major endocrine organs:

A

any four of:
pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, liver, stomach wall, adrenal gland, kidneys, pancreas, ovary, placenta, testes, adipose tissue, small intestine, skin, thyroid gland, heart and parathyroid glands

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

do endocrine organs have ducts?

A

no they are ductless

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

what do endocrine organs do?

A

secrete hormones directly into the blood, lymph or tissue fluid

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

are the endocrine and nervous systems integrated?

A

yes (neurohormonal system)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

what are hormones?

A

a chemical substance released by endocrine glands and each has a particular function which are carried out on target organs by the vascular system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

the hypothalamus is the most ventral part of what?

A

the diencephalon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

what does the hypothalamus control?

A

regulates temperature, thirst, hunger, sexual behaviour, blood volume etc (maintains homeostasis)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

how does the hypothalamus coordinate the pituitary gland?

A

through the secretions of peptides and amines

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

what are the two types of hormones produced?

A

releasing or inhibitory (hypophysiotropic hormones

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

what are clusters of neurons in the hypothalamus referred to?

A

nuclei

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

what do the nuclei of the hypothalamus do?

A

intergrade and regulate vital body functions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

what are peptidergic neurons and what do they do?

A

they are peptide neurotransmitters that send axons to the posterior pituitary and secrete releasing hormones to the anterior pituitary

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

the hypothalamic-neurohypophysical system consists of magnocellular neurosecretory neurons that synthesise what?

A

oxytocin (OXT) and arginine vasopressin (AVP)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

where is OXT and AVP synthesied?

A

at somata in the hypothalamic supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular nuclei (PVN)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

where are the neuropeptides produced by the SON and PVN of the hypothalamus secreted into?

A

into the circulation from axonal terminals in the neurohypophysis (NH)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

what does peptidergic mean in terms of neurons?

A

a neuron that secretes peptide hormones as their neurotransmitters

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

what is the pituitary gland also known as?

A

hypophysis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

where is the pituitary gland?

A

a small unpaired organ that is suspended below the diacephalon in the hypophyseal fossa of the sphenoid bone (between the optic chiasm and mammillary body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

what suspends the pituitary gland from the hypothalamus?

A

infundibulum or hypophysial stalk (containing nerve fibres and small blood vessels

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

the pituitary gland is derived from two embryologically-distinct tissues, meaning it is composed of which two tissue types?

A

neural and glandular

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

what area forms the adenohypophysis?

A

an area of the roof of embryonic oral ectoderm (Rathke’s pouch) extending upward meeting the neurohyophissi and extending downward as an outpouching from the floor of the third ventricle

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

what is the adenohypophysis?

A

an outgrowth of the pharynx connected to the hypothalamus by a vascular network allowing humoral control of adenohypophyseal secretions by the hypothalamus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

what are the three lobes of the pituitary gland?

A

anterior, intermediate and posterior

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

which lobe is the adenohypophysis?

A

the anterior lobe

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
which lobe is the neurohypophysis?
the posterior lobe
26
what are the three subdivisions of the adenohypophysis?
pars distalis, pars tuberalis and pars intermedia
27
which subdivision of the adenohypophysis does not have an extensive blood supply contiguous with the hypothalamus?
pars intermedia
28
what does the pars intermedia release their hormones in response to?
dopaminergic and serotonergic innervation
29
the bulk of the adenohypophysis is pars distalis which is composed of which two general cell types?
chromophils and chromophobes (50/50)
30
what are chromophils subdivided into?
acidophils and basophils
31
what do acidophils contain?
polpeptide hormones - somatotrophs and lactotrophs
32
growth hormone is what type of hormone?
somatotroph
33
prolactin is what type of hormone?
lactotrophs
34
what do basophils contain?
thyrotrophs, gonadotrophs and corticotrophs
35
thyroid stimulating hormone is what type of hormone?
thyrotrophs
36
follicle stimulating hormone and luteinising hormone are what type of hormone?
gonadotrophs
37
adrenocortiotropic hormone is what type of hormone?
corticotrophs
38
what colour does acidophils cytoplasm stain (histology)?
red or orange
39
what colour does basophil cytoplasm stain (histology)?
blue (ish)
40
do chromophobes have cytoplasm that stain well or poorly?
poorly
41
what 'pars' is the thin zone of basophilic cells interspersed with colloid filled cysts?
pars intermiedia
42
what type of hormone is alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone?
melanotrophs
43
which 'pars' are melanotrophs found?
pars intermediate
44
which 'pars' have cells that form folding sheets and occasional cysts, capillaries in this gland are fenestrated and it contains melatonin receptors?
pars tuberalis
45
the pars tuberalis is a tubular sheath that extends from the pars distalis and winds around what?
the pituitary stalk
46
what are the three parts of the neurohypophysis?
median eminence, infundibular stalk and pars nervosa
47
where can you find the median eminence?
at the base of the hypothalamus
48
what is the infundibular stalk?
nerve tract
49
what forms the bulk of the neurohypophysis?
pars nervosa
50
neurohypophysis has a lumen thats continuous of the lumen of what?
the brains third ventricle
51
paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei both produce peptides OXT and ADH which are released from where?
neuronal axons into the capillaries of the posterior pituitary
52
what are herring bodies?
secretory vesicles along the axons
53
what is vasopressin?
antidiuretic hormone
54
what are tropic hormones?
hormones that have other endocrine glands as their target (most are from the pituitary)
55
what are tropic hormones produced by?
neurosecretory cells in several of the hypothalamic nuclei
56
follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone target which endocrine organs?
the testes and ovaries
57
ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) targets which endocrine organ?
the adrenal cortex
58
growth hormone targets which endocrine organ?
liver and other tissues
59
prolactin targets which endocrine organ?
mammary glands
60
what is TSH?
thyroid stimulating hormone
61
communication of the hypothalamus with the adenohypophysis is via which system?
hypophysial portal system
62
what is the hypophysial portal system?
a system of blood vessels in the brain that connects the hypothalamus with the adenohypophysis
63
where does the hypophysial portal system begin?
at the base of the hypothalamus
64
neurohormones from the hypothalamus are released to what system?
hypothalamic-pituitary portal system
65
neurohormones bind to receptors on what cells?
endocrine cells
66
describe how and where neurohormones ADH and OXT are transported/stored:
they are placed in vesicles and transported to the posterior pituitary and stored, each terminal stores either vasopressin or oxytocin but not both
67
hormones that are conveyed along axons within the hypothalamic-hypophysial tract are released into hwere?
a neurohypophyseal capillary bed
68
what does ADH/vasopressin cause?
stimulates vasoconstriction and promotes fluid reabsorption by the kidneys (constricts vessels to raise blood pressure (arterioles))
69
oxytocin stimulates uterine contractions and does what do the mammary gland?
stimulates milk let-down
70
what do specialised osmoreceptors located in the hypothalamus do?
continuously monitor the solute concentration of the blood
71
how does the neurohypophysis differ from the adenohypophysis in terms of hormone release?
the neurohypophysis releases hormones synthesised by the hypothalamus whereas the adenohypophysis releases hormones that it has synthesised itself
72
how does the neurohypophysis differ from the adenohypophysis in terms of connection to the hypothalamus?
the neurohypophysis is connected to the hypothalamus by a neural pathway whereas the adenohypophysis is connected to the hypothalamus by a vascular link
73
does the neurohypophysis have a portal system?
no, neurohormones are deposited directly into the capillaries
74
what species is the intermediate lobe of the adenohypophysis absent in?
birds and cetaceans (whales, dolphins)
75
what is the epiphysis also known as?
the pineal gland
76
what is the pineal gland?
a small organ shaped like a pine cone that is part of the epithalamus, located mid brain
77
the pineal gland is attached to the caudal end of the roof of what? what is this directly before?
roof of the third ventricle and directly before the rostral colliculi
78
in lower vertebrates the pineal gland is directly p___________e
photosensitive
79
which is the only endocrine gland that is directly influenced by the external environment? via what?
the pineal gland via the retina
80
what secretes melatonin?
pinealocytes
81
the pineal gland contains pinealocytes and a_______
astrocytes
82
what is the corpora arenacae?
extracellular concretions that consist of calcium phosphates and carbonates in an organic matrix deposited in concentric layers
83
what is an astrocyte?
a star-shaped cell that is a type of neuroglia found in the nervous system
84
what are the three types of glial cells in the mature nervous system?
astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and microglial cells
85
where is the 'master biological clock' that serves as the pacemaker for circadian rhythm located?
in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
86
where is melatonin synthesised?
by the pineal gland, in the retina, lens, ciliary body and other parts of the body like the iris, lacrimal gland skin and also the gut
87
circadian rhythms and season effect breeding, sleep etc and innate what?
innate immune response
88
describe the eye-pineal neural pathway (retinal hypothalamic tract) effecting melatonin production:
- light enters the eye and is captured by the retina where it turns into an electrochemical signal - signal travels down retinal-hypothalamic tract to neural synapse suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) - then continues to another synapse in paraventricular nucleus (PVN) - then travels through the brainstem to the spinal cord to a synapse in the superior cervical ganglion (reduces activity of nerve fibres of pineal gland) - this decreases norepinephrine release which decreases cyclic AMP in pineal gland - decreasing cAMP concentration lowers function of NAT (n-acetyltransferase) - results in less production of melatonin
89
what is the thyroid?
a small dark-tan, oval shaped lobe attached to the trachea on the right and left side, caudal to the cricoid cartilage, spanning 5-8 tracheal rings (species differences)
90
what may thyroid lobes be connected by?
an isthmus (fused in pigs)
91
what is the thyroid derived from?
pharyngeal endoderm
92
how many pairs of parathyroid are there?
usually two pairs (external and internal)
93
what is the larynx?
a musculocartilaginous organ guarding the entrance to the trachea
94
each thyroid gland is embedded in deep what?
cervical fascia
95
lobules of the thyroid consist of many units called what?
thyroid follicles
96
thyroid hormones are synthesised in what?
colloid
97
what is colloid?
a viscous protein rich fluid that serves as an extracellular storage site for thyroid hormone
98
within the wall of the thyroid follicles there are what cells?
parafollicular cells
99
follicular cells can be columnar, cuboidal or squamous depending on what?
their synthetic activity
100
what are C cells?
parafollicular cells
101
what do C cells secrete?
calcatonin, a polypeptide involved with calcium metabolism
102
what is tetraiodothyronine also known as?
thyroxine or T4
103
what is triiodothyronine also known as?
T3
104
what do T3 and T4 help with?
regulation of the metabolic rate
105
what are the two types of cells present in parathyroid glands?
chief cells and oxyphil cells
106
what do chief cells do?
majority of cells in the parathyroid - they secrete PTH which monitor calcium in the blood
107
what is PTH?
parathyroid hormone
108
what effect does PTH to the bone have?
increases blood calcium by inhibiting deposition of calcium and stimulating removal of calcium
109
what effect does PTH to the kidney have?
increases blood calcium by increasing calcium ion reabsorption by kidney tubular cells and inhibits reabsorption of phosphate ion from glomerular filtration
110
what effect does PTH to the small intestine have?
increases the absorption of calcium
111
the thyroid has a generous blood supply, which arteries supply it?
cranial thyroid artery (common carotid artery) and caudal thyroid artery, runs alongside major arteries, the jugular vein and laryngeal nerve
112
the thyroid receives both sympathetic and parasympathetic innervation, where is each from?
sympathetic - routed through the cranial * parasympathetic - through the laryngeal branch of the vagus nerve
113
describe the adrenal gland:
paired glands located craniomedially to the kidneys, surrounded by a capsule and organised into a peripheral cortex and central medulla
114
what is the adrenal cortex derived from?
the mesoderm
115
what is the function of the adrenal cortex?
to produce adrenocorticoid hormones
116
what does the zona glomerulosa secrete?
mineralcorticoids
117
what does the zona fasciculata secrete?
glucocorticoids
118
what does the zona recticularis secrete?
sex steroids or androgens
119
where is the adrenal medulla derived from?
the neural crest ectoderm
120
what hormone consists of 95% of the hormones produced by the zona glomerulose?
aldosterone (for sodium reabsorption)
121
what does the adrenal medulla convert amino acids into?
catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine etc)
122
which two places does norepinephrine come from?
the adrenal medulla and postganglionic sympathetic neurons
123
is pancreas endocrine activity controlled by pituitary hormones?
no
124
the pancreas is a lobulated and encapsulated gland consisting of which two functional components?
endocrine and exocrine
125
what does most of the pancreas consist of?
tubuloacinary secretory units/clusters or epithelial cells (pancreatic islets)
126
the pancreatic islets are known as?
islets of langerhans

SF6: Organs of Special Senses and Endocrine Systems (13 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions