BPK 105 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Thyroid, Sympathetic Nervous System, Posterior Pituitary

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Module 6 - Study Guide
Endocrine System Functions
- The endocrine systems utilizes various categories of chemical communication to
maintain homeostasis and regulate a variety of functions in the body.
- These include metabolism, hunger, tissue development, ion concentrations, water
balance, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, blood glucose concentration, and
immune system function.
- The release of chemicals can have a local influence (autocrines, paracrines,
neurotransmitters) or global influence (hormones) that are distributed through the blood
stream.
Hormone Release and Regulation
- Humoral stimuli, ones that circulate in the blood, can directly result in the release of
hormones. Blood glucose levels stimulating insulin release from the pancreas and blood
calcium levels stimulating parathyroid hormone release from the thyroid gland are
examples of this type of regulation.
- The nervous system can also have direct control, through action potentials, over
hormone release from glands. We saw an example of this in Module 5 with the
sympathetic nervous system stimulating epinephrine release from the adrenal medulla.
We will also see this type of influence when we discuss the hypothalamic control over
hormone release from the posterior pituitary.
- Hormone release can also be stimulated by other hormones. Many hormones from the
Anterior Pituitary are trophic hormones, which means that they control the release of
other hormones, such as thyroid hormones.
- Recall from Module 1 that regulation of homeostasis, and hormone release, is primarily
achieved through negative feedback. The categories of stimuli just discussed can also
serve to inhibit hormone release. In many cases the hormone itself will inhibit its own
release, once it has had the desired influence.
Receptors
- The chemical signal, hormone, of the endocrine system travels throughout the whole
body via the blood stream.
- Hormones are distributed very well by this system, with very small amounts of hormone
interacting with almost every cell of the body.
- As we know, cells and tissues of different organs and organ systems have very different
functions. A hormone signal only wants to stimulate cells that will create an appropriate
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Document Summary

The endocrine systems utilizes various categories of chemical communication to maintain homeostasis and regulate a variety of functions in the body. These include metabolism, hunger, tissue development, ion concentrations, water balance, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, blood glucose concentration, and immune system function. The release of chemicals can have a local influence (autocrines, paracrines, neurotransmitters) or global influence (hormones) that are distributed through the blood stream. Humoral stimuli, ones that circulate in the blood, can directly result in the release of hormones. Blood glucose levels stimulating insulin release from the pancreas and blood calcium levels stimulating parathyroid hormone release from the thyroid gland are examples of this type of regulation. The nervous system can also have direct control, through action potentials, over hormone release from glands. We saw an example of this in module 5 with the sympathetic nervous system stimulating epinephrine release from the adrenal medulla.

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