Anyone who can help with Anatomy?

Question

Its on the Endocrine system...........

What is the major mechanism that regulated the endocrine system?

What does the anterior pituitary gland need from the hypothalamus to release a hormone?

Answer 1

Like you mentioned the hypothalamus is the major mechanism regulating the endocrine system; that, along with feedback loops. The hypothalmus makes a few body hormones that it stores in the posterior pituitary (ADH and Oxytocin), but most of the time it makes relatively short-chained protein hormones called releasing hormones which instruct the release of the hormones made in the anterior portion of the pituitary.

An example of one would be GnRH. This stands for "Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone. This hormone is made and released in/from the hypothalamus and travels though the hypophyseal portal system (a system of small capillaries) to the anterior pituitary where it then has an effect the hormones made there. In this case GnRH controls the release of the hormones FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone). These are s*x hormones and are also influenced though a feedback loop from other hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.

Another example would be GHRH (growth release growth hormones) This, as the name implies, control the release of growth hormone.

In short, the hypothalamus and feed back loops control the amount of a given hormone in your body at any given time. Feedback loops control the release of the releasing hormones themselves in the hypothalamus; it's all a big chemical communication cycle.