What is the main purpose of the endocrine system? - Answers Maintain homeostasis through
hormone signaling.
How does the endocrine system interact with the nervous system? - Answers Both systems work
together to regulate homeostasis.
What do hormones do in the body? - Answers Act as chemical messengers that regulate growth,
metabolism, reproduction, and stress response.
What are the structural types of hormones? - Answers Single amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, or
lipids.
What are the major endocrine glands? - Answers Pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenals,
pancreas.
What is a target cell? - Answers A cell with specific receptors for a hormone.
What happens if a cell does not have receptors for a hormone? - Answers It cannot be directly
influenced by that hormone.
What is the difference between intracrine and autocrine signaling? - Answers Intracrine stays inside
the cell and binds internal receptors; autocrine exits the cell and binds to its own surface receptors.
What is a key rule about hormones and their effects? - Answers A single hormone can affect multiple
organs/processes and may act far from where it is produced.
What is an example of neural control of hormones? - Answers Autonomic stimulation of pancreatic
insulin secretion.
What is the difference between negative and positive feedback? - Answers Negative feedback
reduces further hormone release; positive feedback amplifies it.
If thyroxine (T4) levels are high, what should TSH levels be? - Answers Low.
What is an example of a water-soluble amine hormone? - Answers Epinephrine.
What happens when insulin binds to muscle cells? - Answers Glucose uptake increases.
How do lipid-soluble hormones cross membranes? - Answers By diffusion from high concentration to
low concentration.
What are steroid hormones made from? - Answers Cholesterol.
How do steroid hormones travel in the blood? - Answers They are hydrophobic and bind to transport
proteins.
What are the five classes of steroid hormones? - Answers Glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids,
androgens, estrogens, progesterones.
What are non-steroid hormones made of, and how do they act? - Answers Amino acids; they bind to
receptors on the cell membrane.
What is erythropoietin, and where is it made? - Answers A kidney-made hormone that stimulates
bone marrow to produce red blood cells.
What do gonadotropins regulate? - Answers Puberty, sexual development, and ovulation.
What is prolactin inhibitory hormone (PIH)? - Answers Dopamine.
What happens with prolactin deficiency? - Answers Failure to lactate.
What happens with prolactin excess? - Answers Galactorrhea and infertility.
What is the hallmark of a prolactinoma? - Answers Sustained elevation of serum prolactin.
What symptoms are caused by prolactinomas? - Answers Amenorrhea, galactorrhea, hirsutism,
osteoporosis.
What role do prostaglandins play? - Answers Regulate renal hemodynamics and salt/water balance
and mediate inflammation and pain.
What drugs block prostaglandin synthesis? - Answers NSAIDs.
What is true about chronic pain signals? - Answers They serve no useful or protective function.
Which hormones are secreted by the posterior pituitary? - Answers Oxytocin and vasopressin (ADH).
What disorder results from too much ADH? - Answers SIADH (syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic
hormone).
What disorder results from too little ADH? - Answers Diabetes insipidus (DI).
Which form of DI is treatable with ADH replacement? - Answers Neurogenic DI.
What happens in ADH deficiency? - Answers Urine volume increases.
What is the most common cause of SIADH? - Answers Cancer.
What are the effects of posterior pituitary damage? - Answers Polyuria, dehydration, and electrolyte
imbalance.