Communication: Hormones

Each part of your body including your brain, muscles, heart, kidneys, and lungs has specific functions that are vital to your health and well-being. Even though these specific functions are discussed in later chapters, you must first understand the basic principles of communication within the human body. Two major systems have evolved to communicate and coordinate body functions: neural and hormonal. As previously discussed the nervous system is one mode of communication that the body utilizes to maintain homeostasis and coordinate bodily functions. This chapter will focus on the other mode of communication via hormones through the endocrine system. In this chapter, you will learn how hormones are secreted, delivered, and regulated to coordinate communication throughout the body. These concepts will then be applied by examining the body’s regulation of calcium/phosphate, glucose, and sex hormone levels.

Here is a list of subchapters that will direct you to the corresponding page:

  1. Concepts of Hormone Secretion
  2. Calcium and Phosphate Regulation
  3. Glucose Regulation
  4. Sex Hormones
  5. Hypothalamus and Pituitary
  6. Chapter Review

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:

  • Understand how hormones communicate within the human body.
  • Know how calcium and phosphate are regulated to maintain blood plasma levels.
  • Understand how glucose is regulated in the body by insulin, glucagon and other hormones.
  • Understand the control and release of sex hormones in both males and females.

Communication: Hormones Podcast

The podcast and corresponding transcript for this chapter will summarize the key concepts of each subchapter and provide helpful insight that could be useful while studying. The podcast does not describe all of the content from this chapter, but it highlights the tricky concepts to hopefully make them clearer. When learning elaborate processes like calcium and phosphate regulation, it is commonly recommended to have a conversation with a classmate to gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between all the different variables. Listening to this podcast will feel like a discussion with a classmate, which could be a great way to review for tests!

 

“Communication: Hormones Podcast” by Hanna Jodoin and Sydney Smart is All Rights Reserved.

 

The following list of hyperlinks will take you to each of the topics discussed in the podcast:

  1. Feedback Loops
  2. Parathyroid Hormone
  3. Calcium Homeostasis
  4. Vitamin D
  5. Glucose in the Cell
  6. Endocrine – Pancreas
  7. The Function of Insulin and Glucagon
  8. Paracrine Signaling in the Pancreas
  9. Male Sex Hormones
  10. Cell Types Involved in Spermatogenesis
  11. Endocrine Regulation of Male Sex Hormones
  12. Penile Ejaculation
  13. Female Sex Hormones
  14. Menstrual Cycle

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Human Physiology Copyright © by Human Physiology Students from University of Guelph is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book