Describe the pituitary gland and its location?

Answer 1

• The pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is found at the base of the brain below the hypothalamus and the two structures are connected via the infundibulum, or pituitary stalk, which carries both axons and blood vessels.

• The pituitary gland is about 1- 1.5 cm in diameter and weighs approximately 0.5g although it tends to weigh approximately 20% more in women and may increase by 10% during pregnancy. It sits in the sella turcica which is a depression of the sphenoid bone at the base of the skull and lies behind the sphenoid sinus.

• The top of the sella turcica is covered by a diaphragm, which has a foramen in the centre through which the infundibulum passes.

• Superior to the diaphragm is the optic chiasm.

• The pituitary gland can be divided into two functionally and embryologically distinct parts. These are the anterior pituitary, or adenohypophysis, and the posterior pituitary, or neurohypophysis.

• The anterior pituitary makes up 75% of the total weight of the pituitary. The pars distalis forms the major part of the gland. The pars intermedia is rudimentary in man. The pars tuberalis runs up the pituitary stalk.

• The posterior pituitary is made up of neuronal processes and glia as an extension of the hypothalamus and its major part is the pars distalis, which lies behind the anterior pituiary in the sella turcica.

Answer 2

1) The pituitary is a small bean-shaped, reddish-gray organ located in the saddle-shaped depression (sella turcica) in the floor of the skull (the sphenoid bone) and attached to the base of the brain by a stalk; it is located near the hypothalamus2. It is sometimes called the king of all glands or the master gland of the body because all the other glands depend on its secret for stimulation.3) Physiologically, the pituitary is divided into two distinct lobes that arise from different embryological (study of development of offspring) sources.

Answer 3

The pituitary gland is often referred to as the "master gland" because it controls many other hormone-secreting glands in the body. It is located at the base of the brain, just below the hypothalamus, and is divided into two parts: the anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis) and the posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis).

Answer 4

The pituitary gland is the master gland. It works like a thermostat and tells the other glands when to produce more or less of their hormones.

Answer 5

Eat my nuts.