Pituitary Gland Chapter 18

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Where is the pituitary gland located?

In the thoracic cavity

In the brain stem

In the abdominal cavity

In a pocket of the sphenoid bone at the base of the brain (correct)

What is the function of the pituitary gland?

To produce hormones for digestion

To produce hormones for growth and development

To regulate body temperature

To act as a coordinating center for control of many downstream endocrine glands (correct)

Which hormone produced by the anterior pituitary acts on the breast?

Prolactin (correct)

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)

What is the function of the tropic hormones produced by the anterior pituitary?

To stimulate the secretion of hormonally active substances by other endocrine glands (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which blood vessels supply the anterior pituitary?

Portal hypophysial vessels (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the structure immediately below the hypothalamus that the portal hypophysial vessels pass through?

Median eminence (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of oxytocin in the posterior pituitary?

Helping with contractions of the uterus and milk ejection during breastfeeding (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of vasopressin in the posterior pituitary?

Regulating water levels in the body (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the name of the molecule that regulates skin pigmentation in the intermediate lobe of the pituitary?

Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) (B) Signup and view all the answers

What type of cells in the anterior pituitary secrete growth hormone?

Somatotropes (B) Signup and view all the answers

What type of cells in the anterior pituitary secrete prolactin?

Lactotropes (B) Signup and view all the answers

How many types of secretory cells have been identified in the anterior pituitary?

Five (B) Signup and view all the answers

Which chromosome contains the growth hormone-hCS cluster?

Chromosome 17 (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of human chorionic somatomammotropin (hCS)?

Regulation of growth and development (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between hGH-N and hGH-V?

Variant form of growth hormone (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of the complex mixture of growth hormone peptides in the circulation?

It makes it difficult to assay for each species separately (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between the various peptides derived from hGH-N?

They have similar functions but can exert opposing actions (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the characteristic of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)?

It has α and β subunits (A) Signup and view all the answers

Before birth, what stimulates the secretion of IGF-I?

None of the above (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the highest concentration of IGF-I typically reached?

At the time of puberty (D) Signup and view all the answers

In which organs is IGF-II expressed in adults?

Choroid plexus and meninges (D) Signup and view all the answers

What happens when IGF-II is overexpressed in human fetuses?

Several organs develop out of proportion to the rest of the body (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of IGF-II during fetal development?

Growth regulation before birth (C) Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of the circulating pool of growth hormone activity is in the bound form?

50% (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate half-life of circulating growth hormone in humans?

6-20 min (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated daily growth hormone output in adult humans?

0.2-1.0 mg/d (A) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary source of hGH-V and hCS in the circulation?

Placenta (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the plasma protein that binds to growth hormone?

It provides a reservoir of growth hormone to compensate for fluctuations in secretion (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the structure of the growth hormone receptor?

A 620-amino-acid protein with a large extracellular portion, a transmembrane domain, and a large cytoplasmic portion (D) Signup and view all the answers