Endocrine Biology
Cards (12)
- Endocrine systemAllows different parts of our body to communicate with each other
- Endocrine systemSimilar job to nervous system, but with lots of differences
- Endocrine system
- Consists of a series of glands found throughout the body
- Glands secrete hormones, which are small chemical molecules passed into the blood and spread throughout the body
- HormonesAct as signals to trigger certain changes inside cells
- Pituitary gland
- Produces multiple different hormones, some of which directly tell the body what to do, and some which tell other glands to release their own hormones
- Not actually part of the brain, but attached to it
- Thyroid gland
- Produces the hormone thyroxine, which relates to the rate of our metabolism and plays an important role in growth and development
- Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)1. If the pituitary gland detects low levels of thyroxine, it releases TSH, which stimulates the thyroid to produce more thyroxine to bring the level back up to normal2. This is a negative feedback process
- Adrenal glands
- Produce the hormone adrenaline, which is normally released during the fight-or-flight response, increasing heart rate and getting the blood pumping faster
- Pancreas
- Produces the hormone insulin, which helps regulate blood glucose concentrations
- Testes
- Produce the hormone testosterone, which controls puberty, and produce sperm for reproduction
- Ovaries
- Produce the hormone estrogen, which influences puberty and the menstrual cycle, and hold the female gametes (egg cells)
- Endocrine system vs. nervous system
- Endocrine system uses hormones (small molecules secreted by glands and transported in the blood), while nervous system uses electrical impulses transferred along nerve cells
- Hormones spread more slowly and have longer-lasting effects, while nerve impulses are sent very fast and have effects that don't last long
- Hormones act more generally and interact with many different cells, while nerve impulses are sent to one specific area