11:067:450 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Pars Intermedia, Posterior Pituitary, Pituitary Gland

• School: Rutgers University
• Department: Animal Science
• Course: 11:067:450
• Professor: Aparna Zama

Document Summary

Pars nervosa, pars intermedia, and pars distalis are fancy names for posterior pituitary, bot posterior and anterior pituitary, and anterior pituitary (in that order). Hypophysiotropic hormone: a hormone produced by the endocrine cells in the hypothalamus, released to the corresponding capillary bed the median eminence and transported directly to the anterior pituitary via the hypophyseal portal vessels. As a rule, releasing hormones are usually hypophysiotropic, and stimulating hormones are tropic. The point is that all of the pituitary gland is not under the direction of the hypophysiotropic hormone- the posterior pituitary is under direct control of neural inputs of the hypothalamus (direct nervous communication). Oxytocin and arginine vasopressin are products of the posterior pituitary. Posterior pituitary is a neural tissue, whereas anterior pituitary is a vascular tissue. Pars intermedia produces melano-stimulating hormone (melanocyte stimulation and pigment formation), which has a non- endocrine target.