Pituitary Hormones and Their Control by the Hypothalamus Pituitary Gland andIts Relation to the Hypothalamus The Pituitary Gland Has Two Distinct Parts — The Anterior and Posterior Lobes. The pituitary gland (Figure 75-1), also called the hypophysis, is a small gland—about 1 centimeter
in diameter and 0.5 to 1 gram in weight—that lies in the sella turcica, a bony cavity at the base of the
brain, and is connected to the hypothalamus by the pituitary (or hypophysial) stalk.
Hypothalamus Anterior pituitary Pars intermedia Posterior pituitaryHypophysial
stalkMammillary body Usually, there is one cell type for each major hormone formed in the anterior pituitary gland. With
special stains attached to high-affinity antibodies that bind with the distinctive hormones, at least five
cell types can be differentiated (Figure 75-3). Table 75-1 provides a summary of these cell types, the
hormones they produce, and their physiological actions.
