Endocrine system: anatomy, parts and functions

Some say that human behavior is another aspect of our biological design, of what makes us born and develop as we do. In a sense, this is true: all our mental activity is, in essence, the product of a set of nerve cells that capture information from the senses, process it, and send orders to the muscles.

However, the nervous system is not the only component that allows us to interact with what surrounds us (and with others) as we do. The endocrine system is also involved in this, through its mechanisms of emission and uptake of hormones. In the following lines we will see what the endocrine system is, what its parts are, and what function it has in the body.

• You may be interested: "Parts of the Nervous System: anatomical structures and functions"

What is the endocrine system?

The nervous system is a network of organs and cells that have evolved to produce rapid changes in the state of a living being, depending on the situation, maximizing the options that an option or reflection that is useful in that context.

However, sometimes there is a need for these changes to be more sustained and to affect not only parts of the organism involved in a specific action (for example, the arm), but in many target organs, more or less at the same weather. That is why the nervous system is supplemented by what is known as the endocrine system.

The endocrine system is, in short, a set of organs and cellular tissues that secrete types of substances called hormones, which travel through the bloodstream and they serve to regulate different biological processes.

Difference between the functioning of hormones and neurons

Unlike what happens with neuronal activity, the effects that the endocrine system exerts on the body are not usually immediate and they take longer to fade, since from the "order" to release hormones until they reach their destination, several seconds pass.

In addition, another difference between the endocrine system and the nervous system is that if in the first the order transmitted electrochemically can reach a specific place in the body, hormones are never predestined to reach a certain place at a certain time, but when released into the blood, flood many parts of the body almost at onceSome of these particles reaching their target organ by pure probability.

On the other hand, a single release of hormones has sustained effects on several parts of the body at once. This is not by chance, because if something characterizes the endocrine system, it is that through its regulation of hormone levels, it usually achieves that there is a balance (homeostasis) between the different parts of the body, all of them adapting to the same situation, but each in its own way.

For example, in a dangerous situation, adrenaline is secreted in greater quantities by the endocrine system, making both the heart beat faster (to react quickly) and the capillaries close to the skin are constricted, possibly so that in the event of injury, little is lost blood.

The fact that the work of hormones and neurons go so hand in hand has made one can even speak of a neuroendocrine system: the nervous system takes care of the work in the very short term (thousandths of a second), and the endocrine achieves effects that take a little longer to arrive but last longer and are consistent with the work of the cells nervous

His parts

Ente the endocrine organs and parts of the body in general that are involved in the endocrine system, the following components stand out.

1. Pineal gland

Located in the lower part of the brain, the pineal gland or epiphysis acts as a bridge between the nervous and endocrine systems. Among the hormones it secretes, melatonin stands out, involved in the regulation of the sleep-wake rhythm.

• Related article: "Melatonin: the hormone that controls sleep and seasonal rhythms"

2. Pituitary gland

This part of the body, which is also called the pituitary, is also located in the lower part of the brain. It is very important, since it secretes many types of hormones and indirectly affects the secretion of others, since it stimulates other glands located in different parts of the body, including the thyroid.

It fulfills many functions, and among them the regulation of various biological processes stands out linked to reproduction and sexuality. For example, it allows the ability to breastfeed to appear, as well as the maturation of eggs and the creation of sperm. Its role in growth is also very important, since it secretes growth hormone.

• You may be interested: "Pituitary (pituitary) gland: the nexus between neurons and hormones"

3. Adrenal gland

These glands are located on each of the two kidneys that the human body has, and their role in the endocrine system is linked to the regulation of stress states, fundamentally those that have to do with fight or flight behaviors. For example, they can increase blood volume, stimulate available energy for immediate expenditure, and inhibit biological processes with long-term goals, such as the inflammatory response.

4. Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is one of the most important parts of the brain, and initiates several release mechanisms of many different types of hormones from various glands, from the uptake of signals nervous For it, secretes hormones from the corticosteroid and catecholamine groups.

• Related article: "Hypothalamus: definition, characteristics and functions"

5. Thyroid

The thyroid is a large gland located in the neck. Secretes calcitonin, triiodothyronine, and thyroxine, hormones that intervene in the regulation of metabolism and oxygen consumption, as well as in the generation and regeneration of bones.