Abstract

The hypothalamus and pituitary gland form a unit that is functionally important for the control of endocrine glands and many physiological systems. The hypothalamus has a complex structural and functional organization. It comprises several nuclei, groups of nerve cell bodies that are responsible for metabolic homeostasis, regulation of body weight by controlling food intake and energy expenditure, osmolality, and endocrine control. The primary neuroendocrine function of the hypothalamus is the control of anterior pituitary and posterior pituitary hormone release. The anterior pituitary secretes six hormones: adrenocorticotropic hormone, growth hormone, prolactin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone, regulated by hypothalamic hormones that are transported via portal vessels in the pituitary stalk. The posterior pituitary is an extension of the hypothalamus, comprising nerve terminals of neurons whose cell bodies are in the hypothalamus that, when stimulated, release arginine vasopressin (also known as antidiuretic hormone or vasopressin) and oxytocin. Understanding the normal structure and function of the hypothalamus and pituitary gland is important for appreciation of the pathophysiologies that can arise.

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