Vocabulary & Check Your Knowledge

Endocrine System Vocabulary

Autocrine

Chemical signal that elicits a response in the same cell that secreted it.

Endocrine gland

Tissue or organ that secretes hormones into the blood and lymph without ducts such that they may be transported to organs distant from the site of secretion.

Endocrine system

Cells, tissues, and organs that secrete hormones as a primary or secondary function and play an integral role in normal bodily processes.

Epinephrine

Also known as adrenaline, is a hormone and neurotransmitter and produced by the adrenal glands.

Exocrine system

Cells, tissues, and organs that secrete substances directly to target tissues via glandular ducts.

Histamine

Involved in the inflammatory response and typically causes itching.

Hormone

Secretion of an endocrine organ that travels via the bloodstream or lymphatics to induce a response in target cells or tissues in another part of the body.

Neurotransmitter

Chemicals acting as signaling molecules that enable neurotransmission.

Norepinephrine

A natural chemical in the body that acts as both a stress hormone and neurotransmitter (a substance that sends signals between nerve cells). It’s released into the blood as a stress hormone when the brain perceives stress.

Paracrine

Chemical signal that elicits a response in neighbouring cells; also called paracrine factor.

Permeability

Membrane that causes it to allow liquids or gases to pass through it.

Proliferation

Rapid increase in numbers.

Synthesis

The production of chemical compounds by reaction from simpler materials.

Endocrine System Reinforcement Activity

Endocrine System Reinforcement Activity  (Text version)
  1. Endocrine glands ______[Blank 1].
    1. secrete chemical messengers that travel in the bloodstream
    2. secrete hormones that travel through a duct to the target organs
    3. release neurotransmitters into the junction between two neurons (synaptic cleft)
    4. include sebaceous glands and sweat glands
  2. Chemical signaling that affects neighboring cells is called ________[Blank 2].
    1. autocrine
    2. paracrine
    3. endocrine
    4. neuron
  3. Graves disease is __________[Blank 3].
    1. a condition marked by a disorder of the pancreas, resulting in high levels of glucose in the blood.
    2. a condition marked by low levels of thyroid hormones that results in weight gain, cold sensitivity, and reduced mental activity.
    3. a condition marked by a disorder of the thyroid gland, resulting in hyperthyroidism.
    4. a condition marked by high levels of thyroid hormones that results in weight loss, profuse sweating, and increased heart rate.
  4. In the endocrine system ________[Blank 4].
    1. the distance travelled by hormones is always short
    2. hormones are secreted into the extracellular fluid
    3. the response time is always fast
    4. the glands release their secretions through ducts

Check your answers: [1]

Activity source: Endocrine System Reinforcement Activity by Tiffany Hunt, from Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY- 4.0. /Text version added.

Attribution

Except where otherwise noted, this chapter is adapted from “Endocrine System” in Building a Medical Terminology Foundation by Kimberlee Carter and Marie Rutherford, licensed under CC BY 4.0. / A derivative of Betts et al., which can be accessed for free from Anatomy and Physiology (OpenStax). Adaptations: dividing Endocrine System chapter content into sub-chapters.

  1. 1. a) secrete chemical messengers that travel in the bloodstream, 2. b) paracrine, 3. c) a condition marked by a disorder of the thyroid gland, resulting in hyperthyroidism, 4. b) hormones are secreted into the extracellular fluid, ↵

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Building a Medical Terminology Foundation 2e Copyright © 2024 by Kimberlee Carter; Marie Rutherford; and Connie Stevens is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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