Chapter Three: The Biological Bases of Behavior

F. The Endocrine System: Another Way to Communicate

A second communication system uses hormones as chemical messengers.

Contents

The Endocrine System

Synopsis: Endocrine gland communication is analogous to the chemical synapses we studied earlier, except the receptor sites are very distant. Secreted hormones have to float through the blood system until they bind to receptors in distant cells.


Some hormones are released in response to changes in body conditions and act to regulate the changes in:

• Digestion
• Blood pressure
• Sugar in blood

The hypothalamus controls much of the endocrine system.

• to hypothalamus.

The Pituitary gland is the master gland -- yes I know half of you think you have another gland as the master gland.



Intermeshing of both endocrine system and nervous system is seen the the fight-or-fight response

• to autonomic nervous system.
• to Stress (Chapter 13).

Hormones are important to physical development:

• gonadotropins which affect the gonads or sexual organs even to the extent of determining your sex.
• you can blame hormones for all the weirdness of puberty

Summary chart of the hormonal functions ( figure 3.28)

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