The endocrine glands, insulin and glucagon, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, thyroxine, adrenaline and negative feedback.
What you will learn
- Name the main endocrine glands and their hormones
- Explain how insulin (and glucagon at Higher) control blood glucose
- Compare type 1 and type 2 diabetes and read glucose graphs
- Explain negative feedback with thyroxine (Higher)
The endocrine system
Endocrine glands secrete hormones straight into the blood, which carries them to target organs.
Hormonal effects are slower than nervous ones but last longer.
| Gland | Hormones |
|---|---|
| pituitary (in the brain) | FSH, LH, TSH, ADH, growth hormone |
| pancreas | insulin, glucagon |
| thyroid | thyroxine |
| adrenal glands | adrenaline |
| ovaries | oestrogen, progesterone |
| testes | testosterone |
The pituitary is a "master gland": several of its hormones act on other glands and make them release their own hormones.
Hormones travel in the blood, not along neurones.
The rest of this lesson and its 12 practice questions are locked.
In this lesson
- The endocrine system
- Controlling blood glucose
- Higher: thyroxine and adrenaline
- Try it: Read the graph
12 practice questions, marked as you go; about 25 minutes in all.
Key terms
Hormones, Pancreas, Insulin, Glycogen, Glucagon, Negative feedback, Thyroxine, Adrenaline
In this unit: Homeostasis and response
How the nervous and hormonal systems keep the body's internal conditions steady: reflexes and reaction time, blood glucose and diabetes, reproductive hormones and contraception, the brain, eye, temperature and kidneys, and plant hormones.