Figure 36a - Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland Anatomy

Intro

Figure 36a:	Anterior Lobe of the Pituitary | Bone at the base of the Cranial Cavity | Hypothalamus | Membrane Covering around the Brain | Optic Chiasm | Pituitary Stalk | Posterior Lobe of the Pituitary
Figure 36b:	Anterior | Posterior

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The Pituitary Stalk connects the hypothalamus with the pituitary gland. In particular, it conveys the blood vessels of the hypothalamopituitary portal system to the anterior pituitary and the axons of the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus to the posterior pituitary.

The formal anatomical name for the pituitary stalk is "infundibulum", or funnel-shaped passage (Parent, 1996). Head trauma can cause a tearing of the pituitary stalk, causing a decrease in pituitary secretions (hypopituitarism).

Parent, A. (1996). Carpenter's human neuroanatomy (9th ed.). London: Williams & Wilkins.