Abstract
Endocrine organs release their products, hormones, into peripheral blood to travel great distances to exert their biological effects. The brain is also an endocrine organ which releases some of its hormones to travel great distances to elicit their actions. The brain also secretes other hormones into a microscopic circulatory system which transports them very short distances to the pituitary gland where they exert their biological effects. That is, they regulate the synthesis and secretion of hormones from the pituitary gland. This chapter will describe the regulation of the pituitary gland by the hormones found in the brain.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsAbbreviations
- ACTH:
-
Adrenocorticotropin-releasing hormone
- ADH:
-
Antidiuretic hormone (also known as vasopressin)
- AHA:
-
Anterior hypothalamic area
- AMPA:
-
α-amino-3-hydro-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionic acid
- AP:
-
Anterior pituitary
- ARC:
-
Arcuate nucleus
- ATP:
-
Adenosine triphosphate
- AVPV:
-
Anteroventral periventricular area
- β-LPH:
-
β-lipotropin
- cAMP:
-
cyclic adenosine monophosphate
- CCK:
-
Cholecystokinin
- CLIP:
-
Corticotropin-like intermediate peptide
- CNS:
-
Central nervous system
- CRH:
-
Corticotrophin-releasing hormone
- DA:
-
Dopamine
- DMH:
-
Dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus
- E:
-
Epinephrine
- eGFP:
-
Enhanced green-fluorescent protein
- EPSPs:
-
Excitatory postsynaptic potentials
- ER:
-
Estrogen receptor
- FS:
-
Folliculostellate
- FSH:
-
Follicle-stimulating hormone
- GABA:
-
γ-aminobutyric acid
- GH:
-
Growth hormone
- GHRH:
-
Growth hormone–releasing hormone
- GnIH:
-
Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone
- GnRH:
-
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (also known as luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone)
- γ-LPH:
-
γ-lipotropin
- GPCR:
-
G-protein-coupled receptors
- HPA:
-
Hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal
- HPG:
-
Hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal
- IGF:
-
Insulin-like growth factor (somatomedin)
- IGF-1:
-
Insulin-like growth factor type I (somatomedin C)
- LDL:
-
Low-density lipoprotein
- LH:
-
Luteinizing hormone
- LHRH:
-
Luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone (also known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone)
- MB:
-
Mammillary bodies
- ME:
-
Median eminence
- MPN:
-
Medial preoptic nucleus
- MPOA:
-
Medial preoptic area
- mRNA:
-
Messenger ribonucleic acid
- MSH:
-
Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (also known as melanotropin)
- NE:
-
Norepinephrine
- NKB:
-
Neurokinin B
- NMDA:
-
N-methyl-D-aspartate
- NO:
-
Nitric oxide
- NPY:
-
Neuropeptide Y
- NT:
-
Neurotensin
- OC:
-
Optic chiasm
- OVLT:
-
Organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis
- OVX:
-
Ovariectomy
- OVX + E:
-
Ovariectomy plus treatment with a basal level of estradiol for 1 week
- OVX + E + P:
-
Same as OVX + E, but undergoes a subsequent injection of progesterone at the end of treatment
- OT:
-
Oxytocin
- PeVN:
-
Periventricular nucleus
- PHA:
-
Posterior hypothalamic area
- PKA:
-
cAMP-dependent protein kinase
- PKC:
-
PLC-dependent protein kinase
- PLC:
-
Phospholipase C
- POA:
-
Preoptic area
- POMC:
-
Proopiomelanocortin
- PP:
-
Posterior pituitary
- PRH:
-
Prolactin-releasing hormone
- PRL:
-
Prolactin
- PrRP-31:
-
Prolactin-releasing peptide
- PVN:
-
Paraventricular nucleus
- RFRP-3:
-
RFamide-related peptide-3
- SCN:
-
Suprachiasmatic nucleus
- SON:
-
Supraoptic nucleus
- STT:
-
Somatostatin
- T3:
-
Triiodothyronine
- T4:
-
Thyroxine
- TRH:
-
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone
- TSH:
-
Thyrotropin-stimulating hormone
- VEGF:
-
Vascular endothelial growth factor
- VIP:
-
Vasoactive intestinal peptide
- VMH:
-
Ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus
- VP:
-
Vasopressin (also known as antidiuretic hormone)
Further Reading
Conn PM, Freeman ME (eds) (2000) Neuroendocrinology in physiology and medicine. Humana Press, Totowa, A detailed description of the neuroendocrine systems outlined in this chapter. The authors were selected as world renowned experts in their field
Freeman ME (2006) The neuroendocrine control of the ovarian cycle of the rat. In: Neill JD (ed) Knobil and Neill’s physiology of reproduction, 3rd edn. Academic, New York, A highly detailed description of neuroendocrine control of reproduction in mammals using the rat as a model
Freeman ME, Grattan DR, Houpt TA (2008) The hypothalamus. In: Conn PM (ed) Neuroscience in medicine, 3rd edn. Humana Press, Totowa, A textbook presentation of the anatomy and physiology of the hypothalamus
Wade N (1981) The nobel duel: two scientists’ 21-year race to win the world’s most coveted research prize. Anchor Press/Doubleday, Garden City, A compelling history of the discovery of the chemical identity of the hypothalamic neuropeptides. A must read!
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this entry
Cite this entry
Gonzalez-Iglesias, A.E., Freeman, M.E. (2013). Brain Control Over Pituitary Gland Hormones. In: Pfaff, D.W. (eds) Neuroscience in the 21st Century. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1997-6_58
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1997-6_58
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-1996-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-1997-6
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences