The important role of the hypothalamus in endocrinology
Abstract This Paper will focus on the importance of the hypothalamus in endocrinology. The approach that will be taken is first examining the role of the hypothalamus in the endocrine system. We will then look at how the hypothalamus is able to carry out this role, which means focusing on the hormones it release. The following hormones will be observed: Thyrotrophic-releasing hormone, Growth hormone-releasing hormone, Corticotrophin-releasing hormone, and Gonadotropin-releasing hormone. Knowing the overall role each of these hormones will make more sense of the functions of the hypothalamus.
Endocrine systems
The main role of the endocrine system works in conjunction with the nervous
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To do this, the hypothalamus helps to stimulate or inhibit many of our body’s key process like, heart rate and blood pressure, Body temperature, fluid electrolyte balance, and body weight. They hypothalamus is also consider the link between the nervous system and endocrine system. It is located below the thalamus and above the pituitary gland and brain stem. When the hypothalamus receives a signal form the nervous system, the hypothalamus secretes substances known as neurohormones that start and stop the secretion of pituitary hormones. Hypothalamus disorders can also affect the way the hypothalamus functions. According to medicalnewstoday, they say that any disorder that keeps the hypothalamus from properly working is known as a hypothalamic disease. Most of the symptoms of the hypothalamus disorders vary on what hormones are missing from the body. There’s normally a traceable link between the absent hormones and the symptoms they produce in the body. Although the hypothalamus play’s a vital role in the body, it is also very important to keep it healthy. There are some dietary steps that can help towards ideal hypothalamus health that can be taken on a daily basis. Some studies have shown that diets in high saturated fat can alter the function of the hypothalamus that regulates hunger and energy …show more content…
The function of the growth hormone –releasing hormone is to stimulate the pituitary gland to produce and release the growth hormone into the bloodstream. It then acts on almost every tissue in the body to control physical functions and processes. With this hormone there is a growth factor1, like insulin that is a hormone produced in the liver and other organs in response to the growth hormone, which then acts back on the hypothalamus to prevent growth hormone-releasing hormone production and stimulate somatostatin secretion. Somatostain helps prevent the release of the growth hormone form the pituitary gland and GHRH production by the hypothalamus, therefore allowing if to act as a powerful suppressor of the growth hormone secretion. According to yourhormones.info, many other factors and physiological conditions such as sleep, stress, exercise and food intake can also have an affect on the hypothalamic release of the growth hormone- releasing hormone and somatostain. Over production of the growth hormone can cause hypothalamic tumors or other tumors located in other parts of the body. There are also other consequences to too much growth hormone- releasing hormone is a rise in growth hormone levels in the bloodstream and in many cases, enlargement of the pituitary gland. In adults, over production of the growth hormone for a long period of time can produce conditions known as acromegaly, which
Hippocampus is a small, curved region, which exists in both hemispheres of the brain and plays a vital role in emotions, learning and acquisition of new information. It also contributes majorly to long term memory, which is permanent information stored in the brain. Although long term memory is the last information that can be forgotten, its impairment has become very common nowadays. The dysfunction is exemplified by many neurological disorders such as amnesia. There are two types of amnesia, anterograde and retrograde. Anterograde amnesia is inability in forming new information, while retrograde refers to the loss of the past memory. As suggested by Cipolotti and Bird (2006), hippocampus’s lesions are responsible for both types of amnesia. According to multiple trace theory, the author suggests that hippocampal region plays a major role in effective retrieving of episodic memory (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). For example, patients with hippocampal damage show extensively ungraded retrograde amnesia (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). They have a difficult time in retrieving information from their non-personal episodic events and autobiographical memory. However, this theory conflicts with standard model of consolidation. The difference between these theories suggests that researchers need to do more work to solve this controversy. Besides retrieving information, hippocampus is also important in obtaining new semantic information, as well as familiarity and recollection (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). For instance, hippocampal amnesic patient V.C shows in ability to acquire new semantic knowledge such as vocabularies and factual concepts (Cipolotti and Bird, 2006). He is also unable to recognize and recall even...
Tumors or Lesions to the Hypothalamus Patient The Hypothalamus is a small area near the base of the brain just ventral to the thalamus. It has widespread connections with the rest of the forebrain and the midbrain. Partly through nerves and partly through hypothalamic hormones, the hypothalamus conveys messages to the pituitary gland, altering its release of hormones (Kalat, 2003). Any type of damage to a hypothalamic nucleus, such as tumors or lesions, may lead to abnormalities in one or more motivated behaviors, such as feeding, drinking, temperature regulation, sexual behavior, fighting, or activity level.
The hypothalamus releases corticotrophin (CHR), which is a chemical messenger. CHR stimulates the pituitary gland to release adrenal corticotrophin (ACTH). ACTH, which is released into the blood, then signals the adrenal gland. When the adrenal gland receives ACTH, it is the chemical signal for cortisol production. In a normal system, cortisol (an anti-inflammatory) production would stop after being released, but if there is a break down in the process, cortisol production continues, leading to Cushing’s disease....
CAH is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder and males and females are affected in equal numbers. Chromosome 6 is where the group of genes lie that causes the most common forms of CAH. Adrenocorticotropic hormones (ACTH) are released by the anterior lobe in the pituitary gland. Its role is to act on cells of the adrenal cortex which then synthesizes corticosteroids and cortisol. However, those with CAH have insufficient amounts of the enzyme 21-hydroxylase, needed to convert 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) into cortisol.
Cortisol is in the class of hormones called glucocorticoids and affects almost every organ in the body. One of the most important functions of cortisol is to help regulate the body’s response to stress. Cortisol is also responsible for other necessary functions including: helping to maintain blood pressure and cardiovascular functions, helping to slow the immune system’s inflammatory response, helping to balance the effects of insulin in breaking down sugars for energy, helping to regulate the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, and helping to maintain proper arousal of sense of well being. The amount of cortisol is precisely balanced and regulated by the brain’s hypothalamus.
The endocrine system is very dynamic and has ties to most, if not all of the other major systems of the body. It is responsible for production of hormones and the regulation of them as well. These hormones act as chemical messengers within the body. Through several differing mechanisms, they are able to trigger very specific responses in target cells or organs. This is what enables the endocrine system to guide growth, development, reproduction, and behavior, among many others as well.
The balance of the thyroid hormone is complicated and involves the participation of different parts of the body (Kaplustin, 2010).
The thyroid gland plays a major role in the endocrine, thyroxine, triiodothyronine and metabolism system. The gland can be found in the front of the neck and above where the collar bones meet. The thyroid gland controls the body by releasing T4 and T3 hormones. Controlling metabolism plays an important role when regulating mood, weight,
The thyroid gland is found in the front of the neck and produces two main hormones. The hormones are called thuroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3). Together these hormones regulate the body’s metabolism by increasing energy use in cells, regulate growth and development, help to maintain body temperature and aid in oxygen consumption. These two hormones are regulated by hormones produced by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. The hypothalamus senses changes in body’s metabolic rate and releases a hormone known as thyropin-releasing hormone (TRH). This hormone then flows through connecting vessels to the pituitary gland which signals it to release another hormone. This hormone is known as thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH then makes its way to the bloodstream until it reaches the thyroid where it is then signaled to activate T3 and T4 production [1]. This mechanism is controlled by a negative feedback loop meaning that when there is a sufficient amount of thyroid hormones in the blood stream, this will signal back to stop production of thyroid stimulating hormones. Complications occur when the thyroid hormones keep increasing even though there is already a sufficient amount of T3 and T4 in the blood stream. This process of over expression of thryroid hormones is known as hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is a general term that includes any disease that has a consequence of an overabundance of thyroid hormones. Hyperthyroidism is a general term but there are many variant diseases that are in the hyperthyroidism category. These diseases include diffuse toxic goiter, Basedow’s disease, thyrotoxicosis, Parry’s and Graves’ disease.
Eating has taken its toll on people who live in the United States. One of the largest problems that people have is deciding how much to eat and what is healthy to eat. It was determined in the 1930s-1940s that the brain has a tremendous impact in controlling our eating habits. The main part of the brain, which controls this, is the hypothalamus. Basically, the hypothalamus measures different levels through out the body, especially in the stomach, to determine if our body needs food, which causes the sensation of hunger.
United States is considerably the number one most obese country and because of this, it is extremely vital for this to be one of the main reasons why we need to be dedicated with our body so we could be healthy. The cause of why a lot of people in the USA suffer from obesity can be because we are tempted to eat a lot of fast foods and/or food that is cost friendly and easily accessible. The focus of this article is to make everyone understand the importance of exercising and how much we need it. The Muscular Sympathetic Nervous system (MSNA) is responsible for up and down regulating in many homeostatic mechanisms within the human frame. MSNA works by accelerating the heart rate, constricting the blood vessels, as well as raising the blood pressure in the human body. Researchers have demonstrated on studies that exercise
The thyroid gland is part of the endocrine system, and it is controlled by the pituitary which is known as the “master gland” of the endocrine system. The pituitary controls the thyroid by producing Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) which stimulates the production of thyroid hormones. . The thyroid gland secretes two main hormones: Thyroxine (T4) and Tri-Iodothyronine (T3). These hormones increase metabolic rate, heat production, oxygen consumption, appetite, growth hormone secretion, alertness and quicker reflexes. The thyroid gland is located in the anterior portion of the neck, beneath the Adam’s apple. It is divided in two lobes on either side of the windpipe: right lobe and left lobe. These lobes create what looks like a butterfly shape. The gland is essential to the contribution of maintaining the homeostasis of the body. It plays a role in monitoring the body’s expenditure of energy and running the body’s metabolism.
Chronic stress may be a factor in cases of heart disease and obesity. Due to the type of hormones in the body being released or restricted Cholesterol levels have been known to increase in individuals with chronic stress. A person’s relationship with food can increase their chances of heart disease and obesity. When people are experiencing high levels of stress they may use food as a way to feel satisfied temporarily- whether they are hungry or not.
Swan, S.H., F. Liu, J.W. Overstreet, C. Brazil, and N.E. Skakkebaek. "Growth Hormones Fed to
The amygdala is a structure in the limbic system that is responsible for governing emotion, memory and motivation. Once the amygdala receives information from sensory-processing regions, it is then able to determine whether danger is present. Thus if the amygdala does sense danger, it can activate certain arousal networks, influence sensory processing and is involved with the triggering of certain hormones. The hypothalamus located in the brain and is responsible for hormone production. It’s main function is to receive information from other regions of the brain and responds with circulating hormones. Hormones such as epinephrine, norepinephrine and others cause changes in the body. The sensory cortex interprets sensory data.