Endocrine system - functions

Professor Bruce McEwen describes some of the key players in the endocrine system - hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal cortex, sex glands, and hormones.

Well, I would think from the standpoint of stress we would talk about a molecule called CRF, which is produced by the hypothalamus, which causes ACTH to be released by the pituitary gland, which goes to the adrenals and causes cortisol to be produced by the adrenal cortex. We also have gonadotropin releasing hormone, a hypothalamic hormone from the brain, which causes the release of the gonadotropic hormones from the pituitary, which causes the production of sex hormones by the gonads, by the ovaries and testes. Then we also have cytokines, which are products related to the immune system, which have functions in inflammation, and also in mounting an immune response. But they also actually are produced in small amounts in the brain itself, and even circulating inflammatory molecules can signal back into the brain as well, just as the sex hormones and cortisol can also signal back to the brain.

endocrine, system, endocrinology, acth, gonads, ovaries, testes, immune, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal cortex, sex glands, hormones, bruce, mcewen

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