The pituitary is a small, roundish, double lobed gland which is attached by a thin stalk to the lower part of the brain just above the base of the skull. It lies protected in a bone hollow called the ‘Turkish saddle’ (sella turcica). Seen as the ‘master gland’, this one cubic centimetre of gland manages the hormonal activity of almost all the other hormonal glands in the body.
It controls growth and development, metabolism and energy supply, self-defence and stress, sexuality and reproduction, as well as the health of our bones and muscles. The front lobe is a true gland, more independent from the brain, which secretes its hormones only when incited by the release of hormone-like chemical messengers from the hypothalamus (lower part of brain). The lobe behind is actually part of the brain (hypothalamus) and is directly prompted by nerve impulses from the hypothalamus to secrete its hormones. The unique anatomical position as well as the wide range of influences make tumours and other diseases of the pituitary extremely diverse and taxing.
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