endocrine system

Examples of endocrine system in the following topics:

• Hormone Functions

  • The endocrine system plays a role in growth, metabolism, and other processes by releasing hormones into the blood.
  • An animal's endocrine system controls body processes through the production, secretion, and regulation of hormones.
  • By releasing hormones, the endocrine system plays a role in growth, metabolism, and sexual development.
  • In humans, common endocrine system diseases include thyroid disease and diabetes mellitus.
  • In organisms that undergo metamorphosis, the process is controlled by the endocrine system.

• Hormonal Responses to Food

  • The endocrine system controls the release of hormones responsible for starting, stopping, slowing, and quickening digestive processes.
  • The endocrine system controls the response of the various glands in the body and the release of hormones at the appropriate times.
  • The endocrine system's effects are slow to initiate, but prolonged in their response, lasting from a few hours up to weeks.
  • The system is made of a series of glands that produce chemicals called hormones.
  • Understanding the hormonal control of the digestive system is an important area of ongoing research.

• Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis

  • The endocrine system uses chemical signals to communicate and regulate the body's physiology.
  • The collection of these glands makes up the endocrine system.
  • The hypothalamus in vertebrates integrates the endocrine and nervous systems.
  • The hypothalamus is an endocrine organ located in the diencephalon of the brain.
  • A portal system carries blood from one capillary network to another; therefore, the hypophyseal portal system allows hormones produced by the hypothalamus to be carried directly to the anterior pituitary without first entering the circulatory system.

• Control of Homeostasis

  • Homeostasis is controlled by the nervous and endocrine systems in mammals.
  • Specialized cells in the pancreas (part of the endocrine system) sense the increase, releasing the hormone insulin.
  • The hormone oxytocin, made by the endocrine system, stimulates the contraction of the uterus.
  • This produces pain sensed by the nervous system.
  • Changes can be made in a group of body organ systems in order to maintain a set point in another system.

• Pineal Gland and Gonads

  • The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland in the brain .
  • The gonads are additional types of endocrine glands .
  • The pineal gland is an endocrine gland located in the middle of the brain.

• Humoral, Hormonal, and Neural Stimuli

  • A number of endocrine glands release hormones when stimulated by hormones released by other endocrine glands.
  • The anterior pituitary, in turn, releases hormones that regulate hormone production by other endocrine glands.
  • In some cases, the nervous system directly stimulates endocrine glands to release hormones, which is referred to as neural stimuli.
  • Here, neuronal signaling from the sympathetic nervous system directly stimulates the adrenal medulla to release the hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine in response to stress.

• Organs with Secondary Endocrine Functions

  • Several organs with specialized non-endocrine functions possess endocrine roles, such as hormone production and release.
  • There are several organs whose primary functions are non-endocrine, but that also possess endocrine functions.
  • The heart possesses endocrine cells in the walls of the atria that are specialized cardiac muscle cells.
  • While the adrenal glands associated with the kidneys are major endocrine glands, the kidneys themselves also possess endocrine function.
  • Renin, released in response to decreased blood volume or pressure, is part of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system that leads to the release of aldosterone.

• Forms of Signaling

  • The major types of signaling mechanisms that occur in multicellular organisms are paracrine, endocrine, autocrine, and direct signaling.
  • Signals from distant cells are called endocrine signals; they originate from endocrine cells.
  • In the body, many endocrine cells are located in endocrine glands, such as the thyroid gland, the hypothalamus, and the pituitary gland.
  • Hormones travel the large distances between endocrine cells and their target cells via the bloodstream, which is a relatively slow way to move throughout the body.
  • Paracrine signaling acts on nearby cells, endocrine signaling uses the circulatory system to transport ligands, and autocrine signaling acts on the signaling cell.

• The Role of the Circulatory System

  • The circulatory system can be thought of as a highway system that runs throughout the body .
  • At the core of the human circulatory system is the heart .
  • Heart contractions are driven by intrinsic electrical impulses that the brain and endocrine hormones help to regulate.
  • Gas exchange is one essential function of the circulatory system.
  • Just as highway systems transport people and goods through a complex network, the circulatory system transports nutrients, gases, and wastes throughout the animal body.

• Thyroid Gland

  • The thyroid gland, the largest endocrine gland, is responsible for the production of the hormones T3, T4, and calcitonin.
  • The thyroid gland, one of the largest endocrine glands in the body, is located in the neck, just below the larynx and in front of the trachea .
  • It has a dark red color due to its extensive vascular system.
  • The follicles produce hormones that can be stored in the colloid or released into the surrounding capillary network for transport to the rest of the body via the circulatory system.
  • The location of the thyroid gland is in the neck below the larynx and in front of the trachea; it is the largest endocrine gland in the body, producing T3, T4, and calcitonin.