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Brain: Pituitary stalk
Pituitary gland representation.PNG
Pituitary stalk not labeled, but is the vertical blue portion.
Gehirn, basal - beschriftet lat.svg
Basal view of a human brain (Infundibulum labeled third from the top on right)
Latin infundibulum neurohypophyseos
Gray's subject #189 813
NeuroNames hier-388
MeSH Pituitary+Stalk
Also see infundibulum (disambiguation) for other uses of the term.

The pituitary stalk (also known as the infundibular stalk or simply the infundibulum) is the connection between the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary. The floor of the third ventricle is prolonged downward as a funnel-shaped recess, the infundibular recess, into the infundibulum, and to the apex of the latter the hypophysis or pituitary is attached.[1]

It carries axons from the magnocellular neurosecretory cells of the hypothalamus down to the posterior pituitary where they release their neurohypophysial hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin, into the blood.

This connection is called the hypothalamo-hypophyseal tract or hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal tract.

Contents

Compression [edit]

It has been thought that the pituitary stalk may become compressed due to suprasellar tumors in the pars tuberalis region, and that the resulting compression may cause hyperprolactinemia.[2] This phenomenon has been described as the stalk effect or pituitary stalk compression syndrome.[2]

However, at least one article suggests that the increase in prolactin in these cases may instead be caused by the tumor's secretion of preprotachykinin A derived tachykinins, substance P, and/or neurokinin A.[2]

Additional images [edit]

  • The sinuses at the base of the skull.

  • Median sagittal section of brain. The relations of the pia mater are indicated by the red color.

  • Drawing of a cast of the ventricular cavities, viewed from the side.

  • The hypophysis cerebri in position. Shown in sagittal section.

  • Vertical sections of the heads of early embryos of the rabbit. Magnified.

  • Human brainstem anterior view

External links [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Grey's Anatomy
  2. ^ a b c Skinner, Donal (March 2009). "Rethinking the Stalk Effect: A New Hypothesis Explaining Suprasellar Tumor-Induced Hyperprolactinemia". Med hypotheses 72 (3): 309-310. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2008.08.030. PMC 2668659. PMID 19028420. Retrieved 2012 June 29. 
Stub icon This neuroscience article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Epithalamus
Surface
Grey matter
Thalamus
Surface
Grey matter/
nuclei
White matter
Hypothalamus
Surface
Grey matter
Autonomic zones
Endocrine
Emotion
White matter
Pituitary
Subthalamus
Ventricular system:
Third ventricle
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pituitary_stalk&oldid=544057004"
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