Pituitary Gland

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Description

Your hypothalamus controls which hormones your pituitary gland releases by sending hormonal or electrical messages. For example, growth hormone acts on muscle and bone and increases the size of both. During childhood, insufficient growth hormone causes pituitary dwarfism; too much growth hormone causes gigantism. Too much in a mature body causes acromegaly. In acromegaly, facial features become rough and coarse; the voice deepens; and hand, foot, and skull sizes expand. Heart, kidney, and visual problems or other complications may occur later. In gigantism, the child grows exceptionally rapidly and becomes unusually tall, often 8 feet, but has normal body proportions. When your pituitary gland releases thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), this stimulates your thyroid gland to release T3 and T4 hormones. These hormones travel through your bloodstream, stimulating the metabolism in other cells throughout your body.