The Endocrine System

• Things 2 Know


  •The endocrine system is a network of glands throughout the body that manufacture and secrete chemical messengers called hormones.•Hormones are required to regulate bodily functions. Therefore, the endocrine system provides a chemical system of communication for the body via the bloodstream
• Endocrine glands


  •These are a special group of cells within the endocrine system. Their function is to produce and secrete hormones, chemical substances that regulate the activity of cells or organs in the body.The major endocrine glands are: the pituitary gland, adrenal glands and the reproductive organs
• Hormones


  •Hormones are chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream and are carried to target sites throughout the body.•Hormones come into contact with most cells in the body, but they only affect a limited number of cells called target cells.•Target cells respond to particular hormones because they have receptors for that hormone.
• Regulation of the endocrine system

  •The endocrine system is regulated by feedback.•One set of signals stimulates the release of hormones.•As levels of that hormone rise in the bloodstream a second set of signals slows down the secretion of that hormone.•This results in stable concentrations of hormones circulating in the bloodstream.
• Hormones


  •When enough receptor sites are stimulated by hormones, this results in a physiological reaction in the target cell.Hormones influence many processes including mood, the stress response, and bonding