Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2025

Author Spotlight: In Vivo Assessment of Thyroid Hormone Disruption Using the THAI Mouse Model
Published on: October 6, 2023
Discoveries Around the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis
Jerome M Hershman1, Paolo Beck-Peccoz2
1UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Abstract:
Many members of the American Thyroid Association played prominent roles in discovering the various aspects of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. This axis is fundamental for maintaining the normal serum levels of circulating thyroid hormones (THs) and thus the euthyroid state. The pituitary glycoprotein hormone, thyrotropin (TSH), controls the activity of the thyroid gland. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone and the negative feedback mechanism of circulating TH regulate the synthesis and the secretion of TSH. The dynamic interplay of these two dominant mechanisms has essential effects on TSH release. Therefore, the finding of abnormal serum levels of TSH often indicates the presence of a disorder of thyroid gland function. A summary of key historical discoveries in the understanding of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis is presented.
Related Concept Videos
Synthesis and Regulation of Thyroid Hormones
Upon reaching the thyroid gland, TSH stimulates the follicular cells' active uptake of iodide ions from the blood. The ions diffuse to the apical surface of the cells and are oxidized to iodine. The...
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Functions of Thyroid Hormones
TH is indispensable for the normal development and maturation of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems during fetal and childhood growth. It facilitates bone mineral turnover and regulates protein synthesis in developing tissues, contributing significantly to overall growth and...
The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...
Hormones of the Pituitary Gland
The most abundantly secreted hormone from the anterior lobe is the growth hormone, which controls overall growth by...
Regulation of Hormone Secretion
Humoral...

