New News Biology #41

Endocrine System & Hormones

What Is It?

The endocrine system allows different parts of the body to communicate with each other, which is similar to the nervous system, but works in a different.

The endocrine system is made up of a lot of glands located throughout the body that secrete hormones (small chemical molecules that spread throughout the body through the bloodstream). Because these hormones spread through the bloodstream, it comes into contact with a substantial number of tissues. SOME of the tissues that the hormones contact have receptors that trigger changes.

Glands:

The Pituitary Gland; sometimes known as the‘Master Gland’. It produces multiple different hormones, some of which tell the body what to do, while others released hormones tell other glands to release their own hormones. It is connected to the brain.

The Thyroid; produces hormone known as thyroxine (which regulates the rate of metabolism, in other words, growth and development). Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is produced by the pituitary gland which in turn tells the thyroid gland to produce thyroxine.

Adrenal Glands; adrenaline (fight or flight response) is produced here. One of the effects of adrenaline is that the heart pumps blood faster

Pancreas; produces insulin, which regulates our blood glucose concentrations.

Testes; found only in males. It produces testosterone and sperm

Ovaries; found only only in females. It produces oestrogen and egg cells.

Endocrine vs Nervous System (some key differences):

The endocrine system relies on hormones which are transported by the blood and spread more slowly, meaning their effects last longer and are used on a more general scale. It interacts with a lot of different tissues.

The nervous system relies on electrical impulses transported by nerve cells, making it very fast, but the effects don’t last as long. The nervous system mainly targets small areas of the body, so it can be described as ‘precise’.