Lesson A2.

Pituitary and Hypothalamus:

The Body’s Control Center
 describe the function of
Objectives the secretions of the
1 hypothalamus and
At the end pituitary gland; and
of the
lesson, you
should be describe their associated
able to: 2 disorders in terms of
causes and symptoms.
 Learn about It!

The Body’s Control Centers

● The pituitary gland was
thought to be the “master”
endocrine gland because
its hormones control other
glands.

● But, the pituitary gland is

controlled by the
hypothalamus, making it The proximity between the
the true “master” gland. hypothalamus and the pituitary gland
 Learn about It!

The Body’s Control Centers

● Pituitary gland, about 1.5 cm in
diameter, is a pea-shaped organ.

● It is connected to the
hypothalamus via a stalk called
the infundibulum.

● It has two anatomical portions:

○ anterior pituitary glands
○ posterior pituitary glands The hypothalamus and the
pituitary gland
 Learn about It!

The Body’s Control Centers

● The pituitary gland secretes a total of seven hormones.
The hormones of the pituitary glands

Anterior Pituitary Posterior Pituitary

somatotropin
thyrotropin Vasopressin or antidiuretic
gonadotropin hormone (ADH)
lactotropin Oxytocin
corticotropin
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Somatotrophs are anterior

pituitary cells that secrete
human growth hormone (hGH).

● They account for the most

numerous cells in the anterior
pituitary gland. Structure of somatotropin,
the growth hormone
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Somatotrophs

○ The hGH stimulates the release

of growth factors from the liver,
skeletal muscles, cartilage, and
bones which cause cells to
grow and multiply by increasing
the rate of gene expression. The function of the
growth hormone
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Somatotrophs also release

bursts of hGH every few
hours, especially during sleep.

○ They also enhance the

breakdown of fats in It is important for a child to
adipose tissues. get enough sleep to stimulate
more hGH production.
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Thyrotrophs secrete
thyroid-stimulating hormone
(TSH) or thyrotropin.

○ Thyrotropin controls the

secretions of the two thyroid
hormones: triiodothyronine Structure of thyrotropin, the
(T3) and thyroxine (T4). thyroid-stimulating hormone
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Thyrotrophs are the master

regulators of the thyroid gland
hormones.

○ They control the body's

metabolic rate, heat
generation, neuromuscular
function, and heart rate.
The function of the thyroid hormones
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Gonadotrophs secrete two

gonadotropins:
follicle-stimulating
hormone (FSH) and
luteinizing hormone (LH).

○ These hormones act on

male and female gonads. 3D structure of FSH
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Gonadotrophs

○ FSH initiates follicular

development for menstrual cycle.

○ It also stimulates the production Human ovarian follicle

of estrogen in females and sperm under the microscope
production in the testes of males.
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Gonadotrophs

○ LH triggers female ovulation, which is the release of

the secondary oocyte in an ovary.

○ It also triggers progesterone production which

prepares the uterus for a possible pregnancy.
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Gonadotrophs

○ In males, the luteinizing

hormone (LH) stimulates
the production of
testosterone. Structure of testosterone
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Lactotrophs are anterior

pituitary cells responsible for
secreting prolactin (PRL).

○ It initiates and maintains

milk production in the
mammary glands of Secretion of female hormones
females. shoots up during pregnancy.
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Corticotrophs secrete the

hormone adrenocorticotropic
hormone (ACTH) or
corticotropin.

● This hormone stimulates the

adrenal cortex to secrete The basic hypothalamic–
cortisol as response to stress. pituitary–adrenal axis summary
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● Corticotrophs

○ Some corticotrophs also

secrete the hormone
melanocyte-stimulating
hormone (MSH), which
stimulates the dispersion of
the pigment melanin. Melanin and melanocytes
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Anterior Pituitary Hormones

● The anterior pituitary gland

produces and secretes five
important hormones in our
body.

The activities of the

anterior pituitary hormones
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Posterior Pituitary Hormones

● The posterior pituitary gland does not synthesize its own

hormone.

● It only stores and releases two hormones (oxytocin and

vasopressin) that are synthesized in the hypothalamus.

● This happens because the posterior pituitary gland itself

consists of the ends of axons of the hypothalamus.
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Posterior Pituitary Hormones

● Oxytocin is important during

and after the delivery of a baby.

○ It stimulates uterine
contractions during labor and
milk ejection from the
mammary glands for suckling
The role of oxytocin during
by the infant after delivery. delivery of a baby
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Posterior Pituitary Hormones

● Vasopressin or antidiuretic
hormone (ADH) is the hormone
that stimulates the kidneys to
reabsorb more water.

○ It allows the kidneys to return

more water to the blood to Structure of vasopressin
decrease the amount of urine.
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Posterior Pituitary Hormones

● Vasopressin or antidiuretic hormone (ADH)

○ Without ADH, urine output may reach from normal of 1

to 2 liter to up to 20 liters a day. This hormone is usually
secreted in response to dehydration.

○ It also targets the sweat glands to reduce water loss by

perspiration from the skin.
 Learn about It!

The Pituitary Hormones

Posterior Pituitary Hormones

● The posterior pituitary gland

only secretes two hormones
in our body.

The activities of the

anterior pituitary hormones
 Learn about It!

The Hypothalamic Hormones

● The hormones of the
hypothalamus serve as
major controls to the
secretions of the anterior
pituitary gland.

● They are called releasing

hormones or inhibiting 3D structure of a
hormones, which are all gonadotropin-releasing hormone
peptide hormones. from the hypothalamus
 Learn about It!

The Hypothalamic Hormones

● Example of pathways for releasing hormones:

○ The gonadotropin- releasing hormone (GnRH)

stimulates the release of the FSH and LH, which will then
activate their corresponding functions.
 Learn about It!
The Hypothalamic Hormones
● Other examples of inhibiting and releasing hormones:
Hormones
thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)
prolactin-inhibiting hormone (PIH)
growth hormone-releasing hormone
(GHRH)
corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)
Functions
stimulates the release of the
TSH from the anterior pituitary
inhibits the release of prolactin
stimulates the release of the
growth hormone
stimulates the release of ACTH
 Learn about It!

The Body’s Control Centers

● The interaction between
the hypothalamus and the
anterior pituitary gland is
made possible by the
blood vessels’ link
between them.

● Their proximity also

allows the hormones to The hypothalamus and the pituitary gland
be delivered immediately.
 Learn about It!

Related Disorders
● Disruption in the functions of the hypothalamus and the
pituitary glands may cause various disorders due to a
wide range of organs they influence.

● Conditions:

○ hyposecretion (inadequate secretion of hormone)

○ hypersecretion (excessive secretion of hormone)
 Learn about It!

Related Disorders
● Hypothalamic dysfunction
is the general interruption in
the functioning of the
hypothalamus.

● Because the hypothalamus is

the “master” endocrine
gland, it greatly affects the The feeling of chronic fatigue and
pituitary glands. lethargy may be associated to
hypothalamic dysfunction
 Learn about It!

Related Disorders
● Pituitary dwarfism results
in the hyposecretion of the
hGH during growth years,
which slows down bone
growth.

● Gigantism is caused by the

hypersecretion of GH which
can cause the femur to grow
very long. Dwarfism (left) and gigantism (right)
 Learn about It!

Related Disorders
● Acromegaly is a
condition in adults
where the bones of
the face and the
hands thicken.

○ This is also caused

by hypersecretion
or overproduction
of GH. A case of acromegaly
 Learn about It!

Related Disorders
● Neurogenic diabetes insipidus is brought about by the
inability to secrete the antidiuretic hormone.

○ Its common symptom is the release of large volumes of

urine, with accompanying dehydration and thirst.

○ Because of severe water loss, an affected individual

may die if deprived of water for only a day or so.
Key Points

The hypothalamus serves as the “master” endocrine

organ by producing tropic hormones that control the
1 secretion of the hormones of the anterior pituitary
gland. Hypothalamic hormones may either be
releasing hormones or inhibiting hormones.
Key Points

The anterior pituitary gland releases different

hormones, namely, adrenocorticotropic hormone
(ACTH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH),
2 luteinizing hormone (LH), prolactin (PRL), human
growth hormone (hGH), and thyroid-stimulating
hormone (TSH).

The posterior pituitary gland secretes two

hormones: oxytocin and vasopressin. Both of these
3 hormones are produced by neurosecretory cells of the
hypothalamus.
Key Points

Disorders that primarily involve these endocrine

centers include hypothalamic dysfunction, pituitary
4 dwarfism, gigantism, acromegaly, and neurogenic
diabetes insipidus.
 Check Your Understanding

Write true if the statement is correct and false if otherwise.

1. Gigantism is an endocrine disorder that results from the hypersecretion
of hGH during birth.
2. Pituitary dwarfism is a condition that results from the hyposecretion of
hGH.
3. Neurogenic diabetes insipidus is characterized by the excretion of large
volumes of urine which may lead to severe dehydration.
4. Oxytocin’s target tissue is only limited to the uterine smooth muscles.
5. Acromegaly is a form of hGH hypersecretion in which affected
individuals are characterized by thickened bones of hands, feet, cheeks,
and jaw.
 Challenge Yourself

How does the “timing”

of the hypersecretion of
human growth hormone
affect an individual?
 Photo Credits

Slide 20: This file, 106 Pregnancy-Positive Feedback, by OpenStax, is licensed under CC BY 4.0 via
Creative Commons.
 Bibliography

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Sherwood, Lauralee. Human Physiology : from Cells to Systems. Belmont, CA :Brooks/Cole, Cengage
Learning, 2013.

Starr, Cecie, and Beverly McMillan. 2013. Human Biology. Cengage Learning.

Thibodeau, Gary, and Kevin Patton. 2013. Structure & Function of the Body. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Tortora, G. J., & Grabowski, S.R. (2009). Principles of Anatomy and Physiology. New York, NY: Harper
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