Other hormones produced in the pituitary gland include; dopamine, which functions to inhibit prolactin releases, melanocyte-stimulating hormone useful in skin pigmentation, and the human growth hormone. The pineal gland, on the other hand, produces melatonin hormone, which is responsible for skin pigmentation. This gland is, however, controlled by light-sensitive neurons originating from the retina of each eye and stop at the hypothalamus. The pineal gland plays a different role in animals by guiding reproductive functions.
Thalamus and Hypothalamus …show more content…
The thalamus, for instance, contains two oval masses joined by a bridge. These masses have nerve cell bodies responsible for sensory information transmission into the cerebral cortex in the exception of the sense of smell, which relays signals directly to the cortex without going through thalamus. The hypothalamus is relatively smaller in size but controls a large number of bodily functions. This part is responsible for stimulating smooth muscle lining the intestines, stomach, and blood vessels at the autonomic level in addition to receiving impulses from such areas. As a result, the hypothalamus controls the heart rate, bladder contraction, and food passage through the