Pituitary Gland

The pituitary gland, which is located in the center of the skull, just behind the bridge of the nose, is about the size of a pea. It is an important link between the nervous system and the endocrine system and releases many hormones which affect growth, sexual development, metabolism and the system of reproduction. The hypothalamus is a tiny cluster of brain cells just above the pituitary gland, which transmits messages from the body to the brain. Hypophyseal veins are veins that receive...

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Hypothalamus, Pituitary Gland and Pineal Gland

Full Pituitary Gland Description

[Continued from above] . . . hormones from the pituitary gland. Hypophyseal arteries supply blood to the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland has two distinct parts, the anterior and the posterior lobes, each of which releases different hormones that affect bone growth and regulate activity in other glands.

This gland was once believed to be the main controlling gland of the body, but we now know that, important as it is, it is subservient to a master gland called the hypothalamus, which is the needed link between the pituitary gland and the brain. This master gland is really a way station between the body and the brain and sorts out messages going to and from the brain. It responds to the body through the pituitary gland, which is suspended just below it. It sometimes replies by nerve impulses and sometimes with needed hormones. The pituitary gland then makes hormones of its own in answer to the needs of the body. These are then circulated in the blood to a variety of the body's tissues, including other endocrines, such as the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland receives the hormones produced by the pituitary and produces more of its own in response to growth and development requirements as well as the fight or flight responses.