Pituitary Gland

Located beneath the brain, the pituitary gland is a pea-sized

endocrine gland that sits in a bony pocket in the base of the skull
called the pituitary fossa. The pituitary fossa is also known as the
'sella turcica,' which translates to 'Turkish saddle' because it
resembles a saddle with supports in the front and back used by the
Turkish people. Despite its small size, the pituitary gland plays such
an important role in controlling the body that it is often called the
'master gland.'

There are actually two main parts of the pituitary gland. The front
portion, commonly referred to as the anterior pituitary, is also
known as the adenohypophysis. The back portion, or posterior
pituitary, is called the neurohypophysis. We can keep these two
names straight by noting that the words 'anterior' and
'adenohypophysis' both start with the letter 'A.'

The pituitary gland is attached to the hypothalamus by the pituitary

stalk, which contains nerves and a unique circulatory system, which
enables communication between the two. Let's take a closer look at
the way the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland work together.

Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland

A good way to visualize the relationship between the hypothalamus

and the pituitary gland is like the president and his chief of staff.
While the hypothalamus, or president, makes the decisions, the
pituitary gland, or chief of staff, executes those decisions by sending
out commands to the rest of the body.

The hypothalamus monitors the body through the circulatory and

nervous systems. When it detects that something is out of balance, it
sends a message to the pituitary gland that a corrective action is
needed. When the pituitary gland gets this message from the
hypothalamus, it releases specific hormones into the bloodstream
that can stimulate other endocrine glands, organs or tissues
depending on what action is needed.

It's kind of a like a game of telephone. Instead of the hypothalamus

communicating directly with the body, it relies on the pituitary gland
to send out the messages. The hypothalamus continues to monitor
the state of the body, and when it detects that balance has been
restored, it tells the pituitary gland to stop sending out stimulating
messages, thereby stopping the corrective action.

An example of this process is when we become dehydrated. The

hypothalamus is able to detect the increased blood concentration
caused by the loss of water. To correct the situation, it uses the
posterior pituitary to release anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) into the
circulatory system. When ADH reaches the kidneys, it causes more
water to be reabsorbed into the bloodstream, diluting the blood.
When the hypothalamus detects the return to a normal blood
concentration, it stops the release of ADH from the pituitary gland,
and the kidneys return to normal functioning.

Anterior Pituitary Gland

The hypothalamus communicates with the anterior portion of the
pituitary gland by way of hormonal messages. These messages come
in the form of hypothalamic-releasing and hypothalamic-inhibiting
hormones, which tell the anterior pituitary to start or stop an action.
Located in the pituitary stalk, a unique arrangement of capillaries
and veins, called a portal system, allows the hypothalamic hormones
to pass directly to the anterior pituitary without circulating through
the body.

The anterior pituitary contains glands that produce and store a

number of different hormones that control many different functions
throughout the body. When a hormone message comes down from
the hypothalamus, the anterior pituitary releases its own hormones
into the main circulatory system to control the needed action.

These pituitary hormones can stimulate other endocrine glands, such

as the thyroid, the adrenal cortex and the gonads. The anterior
pituitary also sends growth hormone to the bones and muscles and
prolactin to the mammary glands to stimulate milk production during
pregnancy.

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