Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

The Pituitary Gland

The Pituitary Gland

The pituitary is a small endocrine organ in the sphenoid bone under the hypothalamus. Primarily, the pituitary in adults has two distinct anatomical and functional regions— the anterior and posterior lobes. During human fetal development, a third pituitary gland region called the pars intermedia atrophies and disappears. However, some of its cells migrate and exist adjacent to the anterior pituitary in adults.

Neurulation

Neurulation

Neurulation is the embryological process which forms the precursors of the central nervous system and occurs after gastrulation has established the three primary cell layers of the embryo: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. In humans, the majority of this system is formed via primary neurulation, in which the central portion of the ectoderm—originally appearing as a flat sheet of cells—folds upwards and inwards, sealing off to form a hollow neural tube. As development proceeds, the anterior...

Gastrulation

Gastrulation

Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...

Development of the Sexual Organs in the Embryo and Fetus

Development of the Sexual Organs in the Embryo and Fetus

Development of the reproductive organs in an embryo starts from a bipotential state. This means the early embryo can develop either male or female reproductive organs. The formation of these organs begins with the growth of gonadal ridges that arise from the intermediate mesoderm during the fifth week of development.
Near the gonadal ridges, two duct systems are present: the mesonephric ducts (Wolffian ducts) and paramesonephric ducts (Müllerian ducts). These ducts form the basis for the male...

Hormones of the Pituitary Gland

Hormones of the Pituitary Gland

The small, pea-sized pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain. It is crucial in regulating various bodily functions, from growth to reproduction. The gland is divided into the anterior lobe and the posterior lobe. The secretory cell clusters in the pars distalis of the anterior pituitary lobe are controlled by hypothalamic regulators and synthesize six primary hormones.
The most abundantly secreted hormone from the anterior lobe is the growth hormone, which controls overall growth by...

Cleavage and Blastulation

Cleavage and Blastulation

After a large-single-celled zygote is produced via fertilization, the process of cleavage occurs while zygotes travel through the uterine tube. Cleavage is a mitotic cell division that does not result in growth. With each round of successive cell division, daughter cells get increasingly smaller.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Borehole muon tomograph for search and evaluation of ore deposits.

The Review of scientific instruments·2025

Same author

Synthesis and Antitumour Activity of Hybrid Compounds Based on 4-Aminophenylarsonic Acid and Spatially Hindered Phenols.

Doklady. Biochemistry and biophysics·2024

Same author

[Thioredoxin in fibroblasts of human dermis in the process of aging.]

Advances in gerontology = Uspekhi gerontologii·2022

Same author

Orientation Distribution of Molecules in a Smectic Liquid Crystal with a Distorted Director Geometry.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2022

Same author

Rotational Dynamics of Nitroxide Biradical in Room-Temperature Ionic Liquids Measured by Quantitative Simulation of EPR Spectra.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2020

Same author

Spin Probe Determination of Molecular Orientation Distribution and Rotational Mobility in Liquid Crystals: Model-Free Approach.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2019

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Dissection and Coronal Slice Preparation of Developing Mouse Pituitary Gland

Dissection and Coronal Slice Preparation of Developing Mouse Pituitary Gland

Published on: November 16, 2017

Embryonic morphogenesis of the human pituitary.

G S Solov'ev¹, A V Bogdanov, S M Panteleev

¹Department of Embryology, Tyumen State Medical Academy, Tyumen, Russia. soloviev@tgma.ru

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology

|September 20, 2008

Summary

Human embryonic pituitary development was studied using light microscopy. Rathke's pouch forms early, and its differentiation leads to the anterior pituitary's distinct regions by Carnegie stage 23.

More Related Videos

Development of Organoids from Mouse Pituitary as In Vitro Model to Explore Pituitary Stem Cell Biology

Development of Organoids from Mouse Pituitary as In Vitro Model to Explore Pituitary Stem Cell Biology

Published on: February 25, 2022

4-Dimensional Imaging of Zebrafish Optic Cup Morphogenesis

4-Dimensional Imaging of Zebrafish Optic Cup Morphogenesis

Published on: May 26, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Dissection and Coronal Slice Preparation of Developing Mouse Pituitary Gland

Dissection and Coronal Slice Preparation of Developing Mouse Pituitary Gland

Published on: November 16, 2017

Development of Organoids from Mouse Pituitary as In Vitro Model to Explore Pituitary Stem Cell Biology

Development of Organoids from Mouse Pituitary as In Vitro Model to Explore Pituitary Stem Cell Biology

Published on: February 25, 2022

4-Dimensional Imaging of Zebrafish Optic Cup Morphogenesis

4-Dimensional Imaging of Zebrafish Optic Cup Morphogenesis

Published on: May 26, 2021

Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Embryology
Human Anatomy

Background:

The pituitary gland is crucial for endocrine regulation.
Understanding human pituitary organogenesis provides insights into developmental processes and potential congenital abnormalities.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the key stages of human pituitary gland development.
To detail the morphological changes of Rathke's pouch and its derivatives during early human embryogenesis.

Main Methods:

Light microscopy was employed to examine human embryos.
Observations focused on embryos at Carnegie stages (CS) 12-23.

Main Results:

Rathke's pouch forms at CS 12 as a traction fold from the stomodeum roof.
The hypothalamic infundibulum and neurohypophysis rudiment appear at CS 15.
By CS 20-23, Rathke's pouch differentiates into the anterior pituitary lobes (pars distalis, intermedia, tuberalis) and forms epithelial cords.

Conclusions:

The study outlines the sequential morphological events in human pituitary organogenesis.
Rathke's pouch is the primary structure giving rise to the adenohypophysis.
The spatial and temporal development of the pituitary is closely linked to adjacent neural structures.