Hormones October 29, 2009

[hide] v • d • e Endocrine system: hormones (Peptide hormones · Steroid hormones) Endocrine glands Hypothalamic- pituitary Hypothalamus GnRH · TRH · Dopamine · CRH · GHRH/Somatostatin Posterior pituitary Vasopressin · Oxytocin Anterior pituitary α (FSH FSHB, LH LHB, TSH TSHB, CGA) · Prolactin · POMC (CLIP, ACTH, MSH, Endorphins, Lipotropin) · GH Adrenal axis Adrenal cortex: aldosterone · cortisol · DHEA Adrenal medulla: epinephrine · norepinephrine Thyroid axis Thyroid: thyroid hormone (T3 and T4) · calcitonin Parathyroid: PTH Gonadal axis Testis: testosterone · AMH · inhibin Ovary: estradiol · progesterone · activin and inhibin · relaxin (pregnancy) Placenta: hCG · HPL · estrogen · progesterone Other end. glands Pancreas: glucagon · insulin · somatostatin Pineal gland: melatonin Thymus: Thymosin · Thymopoietin · Thymulin Non-end. glands digestive system: Stomach: gastrin · ghrelin · Duodenum: CCK · GIP · secretin · motilin · VIP · Ileum: enteroglucagon · Liver/other: Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1, IGF-2) Adipose tissue: leptin · adiponectin · resistin Skeleton: Osteocalcin Kidney: JGA (renin) · peritubular cells (EPO) · calcitriol · prostaglandin Heart: Natriuretic peptide (ANP, BNP) Target-derived NGF · BDNF · NT-3

Pineal Gland October 29, 2009

Pineal gland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pineal gland
Endocrine system
Diagram of pituitary and pineal glands.
Latin	glandula pinealis
Gray’s	subject #276 1277
Artery	superior cerebellar artery
Precursor	Neural Ectoderm, Roof of Diencephalon
MeSH	Pineal+gland

The pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, epiphysis or the “third eye“) is a small endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain. It produces melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and photoperiodic (seasonal) functions.^[1][2] It is shaped like a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and is located near to the center of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join.