Thyroid Hormones and Homeostasis

Vocabulary flashcards about thyroid hormones and homeostasis based on lecture notes.

Graves’ disease

An immune system disorder that results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones, or hyperthyroidism.

Chemical Homeostasis

The balance in concentrations of substances like calcium, sodium, even water, within very narrow ranges, so that your body can provide a consistent internal environment for your cells.

Thyroid Gland

The butterfly-shaped structure located anterior to your trachea and inferior to the larynx, or voice box, that produces powerful hormones influencing important physiological processes.

Tropic Hormone

A hormone that gets the hormone cascade started by triggering the release of other hormones.

Thyrotropin-releasing Hormone (TRH)

Released by the hypothalamus when temperature-sensitive sensory neurons detect that the temperature is below target levels.

Thyroid-stimulating Hormone (TSH)

Released by the anterior pituitary, causing the thyroid to release its own special thyroid hormone into the blood.

Calorigenic

A heat-producing effect that helps warm you up.

Hormone Cascades

Internal stimulus often starts with the hypothalamus or pituitary gland and ends in the target glands that release hormones into the blood to get the real work of living done.

Metabolism

The process of breaking down glucose to produce ATP, increased by thyroid hormone.

Pituitary and Hypothalamus

Monitors hormone levels in your blood. If there’s too much thyroid hormone, they both decrease their own hormone production to stop stimulating the thyroid.

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA axis)

Your brain tells your hypothalamus to tell your pituitary to light a fire in your adrenal cortex, and in no time they’ve shut down digestion, released a bunch of energy, increased your blood pressure, and everything else you need to either fight or flee.

Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis (HPT axis)

Sets the thyroid gland into motion, so it can regulate just about everything related to your homeostasis.