Pituitary Gland (hypophysis): The Link Between Neurons And Hormones
All mental processes that occur from the human nervous system do not depend solely on the activity of neurons.
Among the parts of the brain, there are several whose activity depends directly on what is happening in the endocrine system, that is, the set of organs that secrete hormones.
The pituitary gland (or pituitary gland) It is, precisely, one of the structures of our brain in which draws a bridge between the world of hormones and that of nervous impulses that run through our neurons. Thanks to the pituitary gland, what we think and perceive through the senses has an impact on the way we enter one emotional state or another.
The pituitary gland is an endocrine gland that helps us ensure that all those hormonal responses that occur in the body are well coordinated with each other and keep us in a state of harmony in relation to what is happening in the environment.
The pituitary gland is one of the areas through which orders to produce certain hormones are quickly transmitted when certain stimuli are detected in the environment For example, if we see a snake, this visual information, before reaching the areas of the cerebral cortex responsible for converting this signal into something that can be thought about in abstract terms, passes through a region called the thalamus.
The thalamus processes this visual information and, upon detecting patterns of information that relate this data to danger, transmits a signal that will quickly pass to the pituitary gland, located very nearby, and this will begin to secrete hormones related to the use of force. , reaction speed and force. These hormones will navigate the bloodstream and activate other glands throughout the body which will ensure that the entire organism is in a specific activation situation for several minutes.
All this, without waiting for the cerebral cortex to have processed the visual information and the reasoning that snakes are poisonous has been produced.
The pituitary gland and the limbic system
The example we have just seen is an example of the way in which the pituitary gland converts nervous signals into the production of hormones that remain floating in the bloodstream for several seconds. While each “action” of a neuron lasts milliseconds, the hormonal effects of the pituitary gland are longer lasting although its effects are also less precise.
While the neurons connect only with some other nerve cells, and not with all, the hormones are left sailing through the blood without control, activating areas of the body very far from each other, and in a broader time frame. That is why, once we have finished running, not only does it cost us more to breathe during the following seconds or minutes, but our way of thinking is also altered; It is a side effect of hormones, something that is of no use to us but occurs anyway due to the broad temporal scope of the endocrine system.
The pituitary gland is one of the most centered parts of the brain. In fact, it is located just below the hypothalamus. another of the structures that make up the limbic system.
It is partly for this reason that the famous philosopher René Descartes identified it as the possible place where, according to his dualist perspective, the soul (res cogitans) interacts with the matter of the human body (res extenso). Of course, This theory is rejected by the scientific community since it does not really provide an explanation of the functioning of the pituitary gland.
Concluding
The pituitary gland is an example that psychological processes are totally linked to hormonal processes and, therefore, also to the emotional side of our personality
Taking this into account is important, since it reminds us to what extent rationality and irrationality are not two watertight compartments and, also, that there are certain automatic emotional responses that do not depend on our way of reflecting on what happens to us.
