Pituitary gland (hypophysis): the link between neurons and hormones.

A part of the brain that is involved in various processes.

All mental processes that occur from the nervous system of the human being 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, i.e. the set of organs that secrete hormones.

The pituitary (or hypophysis) gland is precisely one of the structures in our brain in which a bridge is drawn between the world of the between the world of hormones and the world of nerve impulses that run through our neurons. 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 into one emotional state or another.

What is the pituitary gland?

The pituitary gland is an endocrine gland that helps us to make all those hormonal responses that occur in the body to be 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 of 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 close by, which will start secreting hormones related to the use of force, reaction speed and strength.. These hormones will navigate through the bloodstream and activate other glands scattered throughout the body.This will cause the whole organism to be in a certain 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.

The pituitary gland and the limbic system

The example we have just seen is an example of how the pituitary gland converts nerve signals into hormone production that remains for several seconds floating in the bloodstream. Whereas each "action" of a neuron lasts for milliseconds, the hormonal effects of the pituitary gland are longer lasting, although their effects are also less precise.but their effects are also less precise.

While the neurons connect with only a few other nerve cells, and not all of them, the hormones are left sailing in the Blood unchecked, activating areas of the body far away from each other, and over a longer time frame. That is why, once we have finished running, not only do we find it harder to breathe for the next few seconds or minutes, but our way of thinking is also altered; it is a side effect of the hormones, something that is of no use to us but happens anyway due to the broad temporal scope of the endocrine system.

The pituitary gland and Descartes

The pituitary gland is one of the most centrally located parts of the brain. In fact, it lies just below the hypothalamus. another of the structures that make up the limbic system.

This is partly why the famous philosopher René Descartes identified it as the possible place where, according to his dualistic perspective, the soul (res cogitans) interacts with the matter of the human body (res extensa). Of course, this theory is rejected by the scientific communityThe theory is, of course, rejected by the scientific community, since it does not really provide an explanation for 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, also to the emotional side of our personality.. 

This is important to bear in mind, as 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.