Biologist ___________________________
Date ______________
34-2 PowerPoint – Glands of the endocrine system
THINK ABOUT IT
Endocrine glands are scattered throughout the body, many of them with no apparent
_____________ to each other.
How does the body control and regulate so many separate organs so that they act together as
a single system?
Pituitary Gland
The pituitary gland is a bean-sized structure that dangles on a slender stalk of tissue at the
_____________ of the brain.
The gland is divided into two parts: the _____________ and _____________ pituitary.
Some of the hormones released by the pituitary control other glands, while others affect
other types of _____________.
Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus, which is attached to the posterior pituitary, is the _____________ between
the central nervous system and the endocrine system.
The hypothalamus controls the _____________ of the pituitary gland.
The hypothalamus produces a specific releasing hormone that controls the secretion of each
_____________ pituitary hormone.
Adrenal Glands
The _____________ glands release hormones that help the body prepare for—and deal with—
stress.
The adrenal cortex produces more than two dozen steroid hormones called _____________.
The heart-pounding, anxious feeling you get when excited or frightened—commonly known as
the “fight or flight” response–is produced in the adrenal medulla to release large amounts of
_____________ (adrenaline) and _____________.
Pancreas
The pancreas has _____________ exocrine and endocrine functions.
As an exocrine gland, the pancreas releases _____________ that help digest food.
The endocrine cells produce _____________ and glucagon.
Insulin and _____________ help to keep the blood glucose level stable, as shown in the
feedback loop.
Blood Glucose Regulation
When blood glucose levels rise after a person eats, the pancreas releases _____________.
Insulin stimulates cells to take glucose out of the blood, preventing blood glucose levels from
rising too rapidly and ensuring that _____________ is stored for future use.
Insulin signals the liver and skeletal muscles to store glucose as _____________. In fat tissue,
glucose is converted to lipids.
Diabetes Mellitus
When the body fails to produce or properly respond to insulin, a condition known as
_____________ mellitus occurs.
The very _____________ blood glucose levels that result from diabetes can damage almost
every system and cell in the body.
_____________ diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that usually develops before the age of 15.
People with Type I diabetes must follow a strict diet and get daily doses of insulin to keep
their blood glucose level in _____________.
_____________ diabetes most commonly develops after the age of 40.
People with Type II diabetes produce low to normal amounts of insulin, but their
_____________ do not properly respond to the hormone because the interaction of insulin receptors
and insulin is inefficient.
Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands
The thyroid gland produces the hormone _____________, which increases the metabolic rate
of cells throughout the body, causing cells to become more active, use more energy, and produce
more heat.
_____________ is needed to produce thyroxine.
Low levels of thyroxine in iodine-deficient infants produce a condition called _____________,
in which neither the skeletal system nor the nervous system develops properly.
If the thyroid produces too much thyroxine, a condition called _____________ occurs.
Hyperthyroidism results in nervousness, elevated body temperature, increased blood
pressure, and weight _____________.
Too little thyroxine causes a condition called _____________.
Low body _____________, lack of energy, and weight gain are signs of this condition.
The thyroid also produces calcitonin, a hormone that reduces blood _____________ levels.
_____________ signals the kidneys to reabsorb less calcium from filtrate, inhibits calcium’s
absorption in the small intestine, and promotes calcium’s absorption into bones.
Parathyroid hormone (PTH), is calcitonin’s opposing hormone, which increases the calcium
levels in the blood by promoting the release of calcium from bone, the reabsorption of calcium in
the kidneys, and the uptake of calcium from the _____________ system.
Reproductive Glands
The gonads—ovaries and testes—are the body’s _____________ glands.
The gonads serve two important functions: the production of _____________ and the
secretion of ______ _____________.
Maintaining Water Balance
The hypothalamus contains cells that are sensitive to the concentration of _____________ in
the blood.
Controlling Metabolism
The activity of the _____________ gland is controlled by the hypothalamus and the anterior
pituitary gland.
When the hypothalamus senses that thyroxine levels are __________, it secretes thyrotropinreleasing hormone (TRH), which stimulates the anterior pituitary to secrete thyroid-stimulating
hormone (TSH).
The release of TRH stimulates the release of TSH by the anterior pituitary, which stimulates
the release of additional thyroxine by the _____________.
Thyroxine increases oxygen consumption and cellular _____________. The increase in metabolic
activity helps the body maintain its core _____________.