Gland
Pituitary gland
Also called Hypophysis, Master gland
The pea-sized "master gland" that sends hormone orders to the whole body.
The pituitary gland is a pea-sized gland that hangs from the bottom of the brain on a thin stalk. It is often called the "master gland" because its hormones tell other glands, like the thyroid, adrenals, ovaries and testes, what to do. It takes its own orders from the hypothalamus just above. Its front part (anterior) makes its own hormones, while its back part (posterior) releases oxytocin and vasopressin made by the hypothalamus.
Where it is
Beneath the hypothalamus, sitting in a small bony cup in the base of the skull called the sella turcica ("Turkish saddle"), deep behind the bridge of your nose.
What it does
Growth
Growth hormone helps children grow taller and helps adults keep their muscles and bones healthy.
Stress response
It signals the adrenal glands to release cortisol, the main stress hormone.
Energy use
It tells the thyroid gland how fast to run the body's energy use.
Reproduction and milk
It controls the ovaries and testes, and its hormone prolactin helps produce breast milk.
Water and bonding
Its back part releases vasopressin, which helps the kidneys save water, and oxytocin, which helps with childbirth, breastfeeding and bonding.
Think of it as a middle manager: it gets instructions from the boss upstairs (the hypothalamus) and sends orders out to teams all over the body.
Works with
- HypothalamusIts boss, sending release orders down the stalk.
- Optic chiasmSits just above it, which is why a large pituitary growth can affect vision.
- Neurosecretory cellHypothalamus cells whose long fibers reach into its back part to release hormones.
When it goes wrong
Pituitary tumors
Harmless growths called adenomas are fairly common. A large one can press on the optic chiasm above and take away side vision in both eyes.
Too much growth hormone
An overactive pituitary can cause gigantism in children and acromegaly in adults, where the hands, feet and face slowly enlarge.
Too little hormone
If the pituitary is damaged, the body can run short of several hormones, causing tiredness, feeling cold or low blood pressure. Hormone replacement can help.
For learning only, not medical advice. If you have a health concern, talk to a doctor.
Surprising facts
- Its back part is actually brain tissue that grows down from the hypothalamus, while its front part grows up from the roof of the mouth in the embryo.
- Robert Wadlow, the tallest person on record at about 2.72 m (8 ft 11 in), grew so tall because his pituitary made too much growth hormone.
- Scan and autopsy studies find small pituitary growths in roughly 1 in 6 people, and most never cause any problems.
By the numbers
Where the name comes from
From Latin "pituita", meaning "phlegm" or "slime", because ancient doctors thought it drained mucus from the brain into the nose. Its other name, hypophysis, comes from a Greek word for something attached or growing underneath.
Quick quiz
3 questions. Your answers are saved and come back in your daily review.
Which of these is a job of the pituitary gland?
Show the answer
Growth. Growth hormone helps children grow taller and helps adults keep their muscles and bones healthy.
Growth. Growth hormone helps children grow taller and helps adults keep their muscles and bones healthy.
The pituitary gland is part of which larger structure?
Show the answer
Diencephalon. It belongs to the diencephalon.
Diencephalon. It belongs to the diencephalon.
Which part fits this description? "Like a middle manager: it gets instructions from the boss upstairs (the hypothalamus) and sends orders out to teams all over the body."
Show the answer
Pituitary gland. It is the pituitary gland. The pea-sized "master gland" that sends hormone orders to the whole body.
Pituitary gland. It is the pituitary gland. The pea-sized "master gland" that sends hormone orders to the whole body.
These parts now come back in your daily review, just before you would forget them.
Practice it and its neighbors in 3DSources
- 17.3 The Pituitary Gland and Hypothalamus, OpenStax, Anatomy and Physiology 2e
- Anatomy, Head and Neck, Pituitary Gland, StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
- Pituitary Adenoma, StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
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