Pituitary gland
| Pituitary gland | |
|---|---|
Lateral view | |
Lateral view of hypothalamus–pituitary complex | |
| Details | |
| Precursor | Neural and oral ectoderm, including Rathke's pouch |
| System | Endocrine system |
| Artery | Superior hypophyseal artery, infundibular artery, prechiasmal artery, inferior hypophyseal artery, capsular artery, artery of the inferior cavernous sinus |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | glandula pituitaria, hypophysis, hypophysis cerebri |
| MeSH | D010902 |
| NeuroLex ID | birnlex_1353 |
| TA98 | A11.1.00.001 |
| TA2 | 3853 |
| FMA | 13889 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
The pituitary gland or hypophysis is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans, the pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain, protruding off the bottom of the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland and the hypothalamus control much of the body's endocrine system. It is seated in part of the sella turcica a depression in the sphenoid bone, known as the hypophyseal fossa. The human pituitary gland is oval shaped, about 1 cm in diameter, 0.5–1 gram (0.018–0.035 oz) in weight on average, and about the size of a kidney bean.
There are two main lobes of the pituitary, an anterior lobe, and a posterior lobe joined and separated by a small intermediate lobe. The anterior lobe (adenohypophysis) is the glandular part that produces and secretes several hormones. The posterior lobe (neurohypophysis) secretes neurohypophysial hormones produced in the hypothalamus. Both lobes have different origins and they are both controlled by the hypothalamus.
Hormones secreted from the pituitary gland help to control growth, blood pressure, energy management, all functions of the sex organs, thyroid gland, metabolism, as well as some aspects of pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, water/salt concentration at the kidneys, temperature regulation, and pain relief.