How is endocrine system related to nervous system

They also obtained descriptions of the fraternities from university officials, fraternity officers, yearbook and chapter house photographs, and researcher field notes.

The researchers correlated the testosterone levels and the descriptions of each fraternity. They found that the fraternities with the highest average testosterone levels were also more wild and unruly, and one of these fraternities was known across campus for the crudeness of its behaviour. On the other hand, the fraternities with the lowest average testosterone levels were more well behaved, friendly and pleasant, academically successful, and socially responsible.

Banks and Dabbs found that juvenile delinquents and prisoners who had high levels of testosterone also acted more violently, and Tremblay and colleagues found that testosterone was related to toughness and leadership behaviours in adolescent boys.

Although testosterone levels are higher in men than in women, the relationship between testosterone and aggression is not limited to males. Studies have also shown a positive relationship between testosterone and aggression and related behaviours such as competitiveness in women Cashdan, Keep in mind that the observed relationships between testosterone levels and aggressive behaviour that have been found in these studies do not prove that testosterone causes aggression — the relationships are only correlational.

Recent research has also begun to document the role that female sex hormones may play in reactions to others. At this point you can begin to see the important role the hormones play in behaviour.

But the hormones we have reviewed in this section represent only a subset of the many influences that hormones have on our behaviours. In the chapters to come we will consider the important roles that hormones play in many other behaviours, including sleeping, sexual activity, and helping and harming others.

Banks, T. Salivary testosterone and cortisol in delinquent and violent urban subculture. Journal of Social Psychology, 1 , 49— Cashdan, E. Hormones and competitive aggression in women.

Aggressive Behavior, 29 2 , — Dabbs, J. Testosterone differences among college fraternities: Well-behaved vs. Personality and Individual Differences, 20 2 , — Gladue, B. Hormonal response to competition in human males.

Aggressive Behavior, 15 6 , — Macrae, C. Person perception across the menstrual cycle: Hormonal influences on social-cognitive functioning. Psychological Science, 13 6 , — Mazur, A. Testosterone and chess competition. Social Psychology Quarterly, 55 1 , 70— Tremblay, R. Testosterone, physical aggression, dominance, and physical development in early adolescence.

International Journal of Behavioral Development, 22 4 , — Figure 5. The peripheral nervous system is both autonomic controlling internal activities of organs and glands and somatic controlling external actions of skin and muscles.

Skip to content Chapter 5. Brains, Bodies, and Behaviour. Figure 3. The major glands of the endocrine system are shown. The study of psychology and the endocrine system is called behavioral endocrinology, which is the scientific study of the interaction between hormones and behavior.

This interaction is bidirectional: hormones can influence behavior, and behavior can sometimes influence hormone concentrations. Hormones regulate behaviors such as aggression, mating, and parenting of individuals.

Hormones are involved in regulating all sorts of bodily functions, and they are ultimately controlled through interactions between the hypothalamus in the central nervous system and the pituitary gland in the endocrine system. Imbalances in hormones are related to a number of disorders. This section explores some of the major glands that make up the endocrine system and the hormones secreted by these glands.

The pituitary gland descends from the hypothalamus at the base of the brain, and acts in close association with it. In addition to messenger hormones, the pituitary also secretes growth hormone, endorphins for pain relief, and a number of key hormones that regulate fluid levels in the body.

Located in the neck, the thyroid gland releases hormones that regulate growth, metabolism, and appetite. In hypothyroidism, reduced hormone levels cause sufferers to experience tiredness, and they often complain of feeling cold. Fortunately, thyroid disorders are often treatable with medications that help reestablish a balance in the hormones secreted by the thyroid.

The adrenal glands sit atop our kidneys and secrete hormones involved in the stress response, such as epinephrine adrenaline and norepinephrine noradrenaline. The pancreas is an internal organ that secretes hormones that regulate blood sugar levels: insulin and glucagon. These pancreatic hormones are essential for maintaining stable levels of blood sugar throughout the day by lowering blood glucose levels insulin or raising them glucagon.

People who suffer from diabetes do not produce enough insulin; therefore, they must take medications that stimulate or replace insulin production, and they must closely control the amount of sugars and carbohydrates they consume. The gonads secrete sexual hormones, which are important in reproduction, and mediate both sexual motivation and behavior. The female gonads are the ovaries; the male gonads are the testis. Ovaries secrete estrogens and progesterone, and the testes secrete androgens, such as testosterone.

Although it is against most laws to do so, many professional athletes and body builders use anabolic steroid drugs to improve their athletic performance and physique. These drugs have the potential to provide a competitive edge by increasing muscle mass, strength, and endurance, although not all users may experience these results. Moreover, use of performance-enhancing drugs PEDs does not come without risks. Anabolic steroid use has been linked with a wide variety of potentially negative outcomes, ranging in severity from largely cosmetic acne to life threatening heart attack.

Furthermore, use of these substances can result in profound changes in mood and can increase aggressive behavior National Institute on Drug Abuse, Although Rodriguez maintains that he has not used PEDs for the several years, he received a substantial suspension in that, if upheld, will cost him more than 20 million dollars in earnings Gaines, What are your thoughts on athletes and doping?

Why or why not should the use of PEDs be banned? What advice would you give an athlete who was considering using PEDs? How might behaviors affect hormones?

Extensive studies on male zebra finches and their singing only males finches sing demonstrate that the hormones testosterone and estradiol affect their singing, but the reciprocal relation also occurs; that is, behavior can affect hormone concentrations. For example, the sight of a territorial intruder may elevate blood testosterone concentrations in resident male birds and thereby stimulate singing or fighting behavior. The nerves and nerve networks that make up the PNS are actually bundles of axons from neuron cells.

The nerve bundles can be relatively small or large enough to be easily seen by the human eye. The PNS is further divided into two different systems: the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system transmits sensory communications. It is responsible for voluntary movement and action. It is composed of sensory afferent neurons and motor efferent neurons. Sensory neurons carry information from the nerves to the brain and spinal cord while motor neurons transmit information from the central nervous system to the muscle fibers.

The autonomic nervous system is responsible for controlling involuntary functions such as heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and blood pressure. The system is also involved in human emotional responses such as sweating and crying. The autonomic nervous system is subdivided into the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system.

The endocrine system is composed of glands that secrete chemical messengers known as hormones. Hormones are carried in the bloodstream to specific areas of the body, including the organs and body tissues. The pineal gland, the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, the thyroid, the ovaries, and the testes are some of the most important glands in the body. Each of these glands works in a number of unique ways in specific areas.

The endocrine system is not a part of the nervous system, but it is still essential to communication throughout the body. The hypothalamus connects these two important communication systems. The hypothalamus is a tiny collection of nuclei that is responsible for controlling an astonishing amount of human behavior. Located at the base of the forebrain, the hypothalamus regulates basic needs such as sleep, hunger, thirst, and sex drive. It's also involved in producing our emotional and stress responses.

The hypothalamus controls the pituitary glands, which, in turn, controls the release of hormones from other glands that are part of the endocrine system. Ever wonder what your personality type means? Sign up to find out more in our Healthy Mind newsletter. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellMind.