0-1 Chapter 17 - Endocrine System Flashcards
four principal mechanisms of communication between cells
gap junctions
neurotransmitters
paracrine (local) hormones
Hormones
gap junctions
pores in cell membrane allow signaling molecules, nutrients, and electrolytes to move from cell to cell
neurotransmitters
released from neurons to travel across synaptic cleft to second cell
paracrine (local) hormones
secreted into tissue fluids to affect nearby cells
hormones
chemical messengers that travel in the bloodstream to other tissues and organs
endocrine system
glands, tissues, and cells that secrete hormones
endocrinology
the study of this system and the diagnosis and treatment of its disorders
endocrine glands
organs that are traditional sources of hormones
hormones
chemical messengers that are transported by the bloodstream and stimulate physiological responses in cells of another tissue or organ, often a considerable distance away
major organs of endocrine system
pineal gland hypothalamus pituitary gland thyroid gland thymus adrenal gland pancreas parathyroid gland gonads
exocrine glands
–have ducts carry secretion to an epithelial surface or the mucosa of the digestive tract –‘external secretions’
–extracellular effects (food digestion)
endocrine glands
–no ducts
–contain dense, fenestrated capillary networks which allows easy uptake of hormones into bloodstream
–‘internal secretions’
–intracellular effects such as altering target cell metabolism
liver cells defy rigid classification
releases hormones, releases bile into ducts, releases albumin and blood-clotting factors into blood (not hormones)
Comparison of Nervous and Endocrine Systems (Differences)
both serve for internal communication
–nervous -both electrical and chemical
–endocrine -only chemical
Comparison of Nervous and Endocrine Systems (Differences)
speed and persistence of response
–nervous -reacts quickly (1 -10 msec), stops quickly
–endocrine -reacts slowly (hormone release in seconds or days), effect may continue for weeks
Comparison of Nervous and Endocrine Systems (Differences)
adaptation to long-term stimuli
–nervous -response declines (adapts quickly)
–endocrine -response persists (adapts slowly)
Comparison of Nervous and Endocrine Systems (Differences)
area of effect
–nervous -targeted and specific (one organ)
–endocrine -general, widespread effects (many organs)
Nervous and Endocrine Systems (Similarities)
several chemicals function as both hormones and neurotransmitters
–norepinephrine, cholecystokinin, thyrotropin-releasing hormone, dopamine and antidiuretic hormone
Nervous and Endocrine Systems (Similarities)
some hormones secreted by neuroendocrine cells
(neurons) that release their secretion into the bloodstream
–oxytocin and catecholamines
Nervous and Endocrine Systems (Similarities)
both systems with overlapping effects on same target cells
–norepinephrine and glucagon cause glycogen hydrolysis in liver
Nervous and Endocrine Systems (Similarities)
systems regulate each other
–neurons trigger hormone secretion
–hormones stimulate or inhibit neurons
target organs or cells
those organs or cells that have receptorsfor a hormone and can respond to it.
Anatomy of Hypothalamus
- shaped like a flattened funnel
- forms floor and walls of third ventricle of the brain
- regulates primitive functions of the body from water balance and thermoregulation to sex drive and childbirth
- many of its functions carried out by pituitary gland
Pituitary Gland
(Hypophysis)
•suspended from hypothalamus by a stalk –infundibulum
•location and size
–housed in sella turcica of sphenoid bone
–size and shape of kidney bean