Parvocellular neurosecretory cells are small
neurons that produce hypothalamic releasing and inhibiting hormones. The cell bodies of these neurons are located in various nuclei of the hypothalamus or in closely related areas of the basal brain, mainly in the medial zone of the hypothalamus.
All or most of the axons of the parvocellular neurosecretory cells project to the
median eminence, at the base of the brain, where their nerve terminals release the hypothalamic hormones.
These hormones are then immediately absorbed into the blood vessels of the
hypothalamo-pituitary portal system, which carry them to the
anterior pituitary gland, where they regulate the secretion of hormones into the systemic circulation.
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Types
The parvocellular neurosecretory cells include those that make:
*
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), which acts as the primary regulator of
TSH and a regulator of prolactin
*
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which acts as the primary regulator of
ACTH
*
Neurotensin, which acts as a regulator of
luteinizing hormone and prolactin
See also
* Magnocellular neurosecretory cell
* List of distinct cell types in the adult human body
References
{{Diencephalon
Neuroendocrine cells
Neuroendocrinology
Human cells
Hypothalamus