Pituitary Gland

Synonyms

pituitary

Description

In vertebrate anatomy the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 g (0.02 oz.) in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and rests in a small, bony cavity (sella turcica) covered by a dural fold (diaphragma sellae). The pituitary is functionally connected to the hypothalamus by the median eminence via a small tube called the infundibular stem (Pituitary stalk). The pituitary fossa, in which the pituitary gland sits, is situated in the sphenoid bone in the middle cranial fossa at the base of the brain. The pituitary gland secretes nine hormones that regulate homeostasis [Source: Wikipedia].

Structure

  • Anatomical System 4331 ➥
    • anatomical site 223 ➥
      • head and neck
      • thorax 1 ➥
        • thoracic wall
      • abdomen
      • pelvis
      • perineum
      • upper limb
      • lower limb
      • whole body 30 ➥
      • adipose tissue 190 ➥
      • mucosa
      • spine 2 ➥
    • cardiovascular system 62 ➥
      • heart 40 ➥
        • atrium
        • ventricle 2 ➥
        • endocardium
        • myocardium
        • pericardium
        • cardiac valve
        • cardiac conducting system
      • artery 15 ➥
        • aorta 2 ➥
        • arterial intima 5 ➥
        • arterial media
        • arterial adventitia
        • carotid artery
        • coronary artery
      • vein 1 ➥
        • venous intima 1 ➥
        • venous media
        • venous adventitia
      • capillary
    • respiratory system 187 ➥
      • nose
      • sinus
      • larynx 1 ➥
      • trachea
      • bronchus
      • lung 175 ➥
      • pleura
      • diaphragm
    • hematological system 385 ➥
    • lymphoreticular system 2 ➥
      • lymph
      • lymph node
      • tonsil
      • spleen
    • alimentary system 123 ➥
    • urogenital system 301 ➥
      • urinary system 132 ➥
        • kidney 130 ➥
          • nephron 7 ➥
            • renal corpuscle
              • glomerus
            • renal tubule 6 ➥
              • renal proximal convoluted tubule
              • renal distal convoluted tubule
              • loop of Henle
              • renal collecting duct
          • renal vasculature 5 ➥
          • glomerulus 5 ➥
        • ureter
        • bladder 1 ➥
        • urethra
      • reproductive system 169 ➥
    • endocrine system 10 ➥
      • endocrine pancreas
        • islets of Langerhans
      • pineal gland 1 ➥
      • pituitary gland 1 ➥
      • thyroid
      • parathyroid
      • adrenal gland 2 ➥
        • adrenal cortex
        • adrenal medulla
    • musculoskeletal system 529 ➥
    • integument system 1602 ➥
    • nervous system 767 ➥
      • central nervous system 737 ➥
        • brain 734 ➥
          • cerebrum 334 ➥
            • cerebral cortex 334 ➥
              • frontal lobe 84 ➥
                • prefrontal cortex 3 ➥
              • parietal lobe 78 ➥
              • temporal lobe 31 ➥
              • occipital lobe
              • visual
              • insula
              • olfactory bulb
              • anterior olfactory nucleus
              • lateral olfactory stria
              • medial olfactory stria
              • olfactory tubercle
              • primary olfactory cortex
              • secondary olfactory cortex
              • hippocampus 137 ➥
              • parahippocampal gyrus
            • basal nuclei
          • hypothalamus 1 ➥
            • preoptic nucleus
            • supraoptic nucleus
            • suprachiasmatic nucleus
            • paraventricular nucleus
            • infundibular nucleus
            • anterior nucleus
            • dorsomedial nucleus
            • ventromedial nucleus
            • lateral nucleus
            • posterior nucleus
            • premamillary nucleus
            • tuberomamillary nucleus
            • medial mamillary nucleus
            • lateral mamillary nucleus
            • lateral tuberal nucleus
          • brain stem 12 ➥
            • midbrain 2 ➥
              • crus cerebri
              • colliculi
              • substantia nigra 2 ➥
              • red nucleus
              • periaqueductal grey matter
              • oculomotor nucleus
              • trochlear nucleus
              • mesencephalic trigeminal nucleus
            • pons 10 ➥
              • vestibular nuclei
              • cochlear nuclei
              • superior olivary nucleus
              • trapezoid nucleus
              • nucleus of the lateral lemniscus
              • abducent nucleus
              • facial nucleus
              • salivatory nuclei
              • trigeminal nucleus
          • cerebellum 14 ➥
            • cerebellum cortex
            • cerebellum nuclei
          • tract 1 ➥
          • ventricular system
          • cerebrospinal fluid
          • meninges
          • white matter 5 ➥
          • grey matter 2 ➥
          • blood brain barrier 4 ➥
        • spinal cord
      • peripheral nervous system 25 ➥
        • visual apparatus 17 ➥
          • globe
          • eyelid 1 ➥
          • lacrimal gland
          • conjunctiva
          • cornea
          • sclera
          • lens 6 ➥
          • vitreous humor 1 ➥
          • iris
          • ciliary body
          • choroid
          • retina
          • optic nerve
          • trabecular meshwork
        • auditory apparatus 8 ➥
          • external ear
          • middle ear
          • tympanum
          • auditory tube
          • auditory ossicle
          • internal ear 8 ➥
            • osseous labyrinth 8 ➥
              • cochlea 8 ➥
                • spiral organ of Corti
              • semicircular canal
              • vestibule
            • membranous labyrinth
        • olfactory apparatus
        • peripheral nerve
        • ganglion
        • sympathetic chain
    • immune system 98 ➥

Changes associated with this tissue

Due to the potentially large amount of high-throughput molecular changes these have been excluded below. You can view the full list of 1 changes through the filter results page.