The Nodal Centers and Their Neuroendocrine and Hormonal Correlates

By Edward Frederick Block IV, Ph.D. ri!inal "uly #$$% &'dated( "anuary #$)$ Co'yri!ht*C+ ,ll -i!hts -eser.ed

INT- D&CTI N
The in/ormation herein is /or !eneral 'ur'oses only, it is not de/initi.e. It is intended to 0e read as an ancillary to 1The 2acrocosm 3ithin1 so as to clari/y the corres'ondences 0etween the Nodal Centers, the Chakras, the Trum'ets, or the 3heels and the Neuroendocrine4Hormonal 5ystem o/ the Human 0ody. ccult knowld!e needs to 0e u'dated as the knowled!e o/ modern science 'ro!resses. The su0tleties o/ understandin! are e6'andin! and dee'enin!. First I will 'resent the Correlations and then the su''ortin! material. ne thin! that needs to 0e 'ointed out is that the nodal centers are su0tle ener!y e6'ressions while the 0eha.ioral correlations are e6'ressions o/ the Central Ner.ous 5ystem. Two .ery di//erent thin!s indeed7

C --E8,TI N5
Nodal Center Neuroendocrine/Hormonal Tissue ---------------------- ---------------------------------------------Incarnational Crown "indu "row Throat Heart Solar Sacral "asal "Silver Chord"/Aura Pineal Gland, Hy othalamus ! Pituitary Gland Pineal Gland ! Cere#ellum Cere#rum, Thalamus, $im#ic Structures Thyroid/Parathyroid Glands Thymus Gland Islets o% $an&erhans em#edded within the Pancreatic Tissue Gonads/Accessory Se'ual Glands Adrenal Corte'/(edulla

THE N D,8 CENTE-5

The Nodal Centers or Nodes are the crosso.er 'oints /or what is termed the 5u0tle Ener!ies o/ the 0ody. By crosso.er 'oints I mean that the nodal centers are the 'oint o/ chan!e in s'in orientation /rom Clock93ise *C3+ to Counter9 Clock93ise *CC3+ o/ the ener!y in harmonic resonance mo.in! throu!h this system o/ nodal centers. This 'rocess is 0i9directional and dynamic. The Nodal centers /orm a local matri6 within the 0ackdro' o/ the 5olar 5ystem Inter'lanetary Electroma!netic and :ra.itometric Field 2atri6. This is culturally e6'ressed as the 5ta// o/ Hermes or now called the 2edcial Caduceus in 3estern 'arlance. The ener!ies mo.in! throu!h the Human Nodal 2atri6 are not the ener!ies o/ meta0olism 0y cellular com'onents such as mitochondria. Neither are they the ener!ies o/ the .arious 0iochemical molecules /ound in li.in! systems such as 'roteins, car0ohydrates and nucleic acids. They are also not the 0ond ener!ies o/ the car0on, hydro!en, o6y!en and nitro!en elements that !o to make u' these 0iochemical molecules. ,!ain, they are not the currents o/ electrons and 'rotons mo.in! throu!h the cells, interstitial /luid s'aces and e6tra9cellular matri6 that com'rises the 0ulk o/ the matter o/ the 0ody. ,ll the a0o.e contri0ute to the o.erall ,ura o/ the 0ody. Howe.er, there are ener!ies not easily characteri;ed 0y modern 'hysics which su0tend all the a0o.e sources o/ electroma!netic4!ra.itoma!netic ener!y. It is 'art o/ the hidden or occult ener!ies o/ su0atomic 'articles as <uarks, le'tons and neutrinos. The interaction o/ the com'onents o/ matter as electrons, 'rotons and neutrons make u' the electroma!netic s'ectrum /rom the .ery ener!etic *:amma rays as an e6am'le+ to the the .ery weak *lon! radio wa.es as an e6am'le+. 5omewhere in the middle is what we call .isi0le li!ht. The ener!y relationshi's o/ !ra.itons are not well understood as yet. Thus I am not a0le to su//iciently comment on the !ra.itoma!netic wa.es attendant to matter. Both com'onents o/ matter interactions, electroma!netic and !ra.itoma!netic, contri0ute to the ,ura. It is my thesis that = o/ the nodes are tuned and resonate to /re<uencies and harmonics o/ electroma!netic ener!ies and = nodes are tuned and resonate to /re<uencies and harmonics o/ !ra.itoma!netic ener!ies. In the middle o/ the # !rou's are what is called the Heart Center or Heart Node in modern western meditational terminolo!y. The Heart Center is the crack in the Cosmic E!!, the o.erla''in! inter/ace 0etween the # ty'es o/ matter ener!y e6'ressions9 electroma!netic and !ra.itoma!netic. The Nodal Centers are(

*9=+Basal, *9#+5acral, *9)+5olar, *$+Heart, *>)+Throat, *>#+Brow, *>=+ Crown ? Bindu, *>@+ Incarnational. The Earth is ne!ati.e to the 'ositi.e e6'ression o/ the 5olar 5ystem Inter'lanetary Electroma!netic Field 2atri6 *55IEF2+, see the in/ormation re!ardin! the 55IEF2. The Basal nodal center is said to deal with the human 0eha.iors o/ 0asic 'ersonal sur.i.al. This entails the need /or /ood, shelter and tools. Humans are omni.orous and anythin! we eat is classi/ied as /ood. 5helter is culturally e6'ressed as to /orm in all Human !rou'in!s. Tools includes clothin!, wea'ons, cookin! utensils and anythin! else made 0y human hands or other tools. This all 0e!s the condition o/ territory, social coo'erati.e interaction and status within the !rou'. ,s I said, 'ersonal sur.i.al7 The 5acral nodal center deals with se6uality, a!!ressi.ity and dominance. Thus territorial dominance 0y the !rou', dominance within the !ender !rou'in! and dominance within the /amily. , human /orms a /amily only when su//icient resources may 0e controlled 0y him4her in order to 'ro.ide /or 'ersonal, mate and o//s'rin! sur.i.al. The 5olar nodal center deals with learnin! social skills, sur.i.al skills and tool makin!. It deals with learnin! skills necessary /or e.eryday li.in! and interaction with the en.ironment. En.ironment means the 'hysical and climatolo!ical situation, the non9human 0iolo!ical s'ecies community interactions and human s'ecies community interactions. The Heart nodal center deals with the conce't o/ kinshi' as well as sel/ and not9sel/. It is the inter/ace 0etween 1me1 and all that is in the world. The Throat nodal center deals with mani/estation in all o/ its rami/ications. It deals with 0rin!in! into 'hysical reality a chan!e in the relationshi' to the en.ironment in some manner. The Brow nodal center deals with the will and means to make decisions and act a''ro'riately in all as'ects o/ li/e. It is said to 0e the center o/ the E!o and consciousness. The Crown nodal center deals with or!anismal res'onse to the /lutuations in 5olar and 5tellar radiations throu!h time. This allows the animal to 0e unconsciously aware o/ and a0le to a''ro'riately res'ond and adAust 0eha.iors to the cycles o/ the seasons. Humans are to some e6tent consciously aware o/ the day4ni!ht cycle and the 2oon cycle. The Bindu nodal center is the

1Black Vel.et 5'ace1. The center o/ the awareness o/ the s'ace where nothin! e6ists in tan!i0le /orm 0ut e.erythin! e6tsts in 'ossi0ility. The 'lace o/ knowled!e. The Incarnational nodal center is the 'ortal /or the e6'ression o/ your soul in this 'hysical 0ody in the 'resent incarnational round o/ li/e.

NE&- END C-IN 8 :B

The science o/ neuroendocrinolo!y is the study o/ the e//ects o/ com'ounds released 0y ner.e cells u'on other cells o/ the 0ody, 0oth neural and non9 neural. By neural I mean a ner.e cell and thus non9neural means e.ery other ty'e o/ cell in the 0ody. Notice that I said cell. These com'ounds do not a//ect the e6tracellular matri6 in any manner other than dilution within. The 'roducts o/ the neruoendocrine and hormonal system set the sta!e /or the !eneral e.ents o/ the daily cycle o/ li/e acti.ities.

Pineal :land *P:+

Indian yo!is who use 1Third Eye1 meditations and e6ercises re/er their students to the center o/ the /orehead 0etween the two eyes. I/ anythin! could 0e called the 1center1 o/ the 'hysical 0rain it would 0e the P: or e'i'hysis. In hi!her .erte0rates it rests 0etween the two lar!e cere0rums at the anterior end o/ the cere0ellum. It a''ears to 0e a .esti!e o/ some one9time lar!er /eature and is sha'ed like a 'ine cone. I/ you were to draw an ima!inary line /rom the center o/ your /orehead crossed 0y a line throu!h your head at the ears you would ha.e the !eneral location o/ the 'ineal 0ody. It is de/initely 0uried dee' in the !reat mass o/ neurons known as the 0rain. ne /act immediately raises

interest( the 'ineal, in hi!her animals, is directly connected to the cere0ellum. The cere0ellum is one o/ the oldest /eatures o/ the 0rain. It consists o/ two dee'ly con.oluted hemis'heres. Its most im'ortant /unction seems to 0e coordinatin! muscular acti.ity in the 0ody. 5uch acti.ity is initiated 0y im'ulses arisin! in the motor area o/ the /ore0rain. These im'ulses not only tra.el down the s'inal cord to the motor neurons 0ut also 'ass into the cere0ellum. ,s the 0ody action is carried out, sensory im'ulses /rom the 'ro'rioce'tors, the eyes, the semi9circular canals, etc., are also sent to the cere0ellum. The cere0ellum then com'ares the in/ormation on what the 0ody is actually doin! to what the /ore0rain had instructed it to do. I/ a discre'ancy e6ists, the cere0ellum sends modi/yin! si!nals to the /ore0rain so that a''ro'riate correcti.e si!nals can 0e sent out to the muscles. It is not sur'risin! that 0irds ha.e relati.ely lar!e cere0ellae when we consider that they must 0e ca'a0le o/ mo.in! swi/tly and accurately in three dimensions o/ s'ace, while we and other earth90ound animals s'end most o/ our li.es mo.in! a0out on /airly /lat sur/aces. 3hen thinkin! o/ the location o/ the P: think o/ it as 0ein! near the u''er end o/ the s'inal cord. It ends or terminates in the oldest anatomical re!ion in the 0rain. 5ince li!ht on this 'lanet is re!ulated alternati.ely day and ni!ht *circadian+, it would 0e easy to discern the relation o/ such cycles to the 'ineal and other !lands. Indeed, this has 0een shown to 0e true. The electroma!netic system o/ the Earth is known to 0e a//ected 0y the 5un, the 2oon and the 'lanets in a re!ular rhythm in 0oth direction and intensity. There are #@ hour cycles in the concentrations o/ serotonin and melatonin in the P:. There is also a #@ hour cycle in the con.ersion o/ the nore'ine'hrine in the sym'athetic ner.es inner.atin! in the 'ineal !land. This rhythm 'ersists in 0linded rats and animals 0ut is su''ressed in normal rats 0y li!ht. The same rhythm in nore'ine'hrine turno.er !enerates the rhythms in 'ineal indole9amines and N9acetyltran/erase, the en;yme system that makes melatonin and serotonin. 5erotonin *%9hydro6y try'tamine+ is also 'roduced in the !ut o/ the intestinal tract as well as the P:. 5erotonin is one o/ the commonest neurotransmitters. The interestin! thin! a0out serotonin is its chan!e o.er to melatonin which occurs chemically in the 'ineal !land. The P: is the only area where this is done. 2elatonin 5timulatin! Hormone release in darkness results in the release o/ melatonin *N9acetyl9%9metho6ytry'tamine+ /rom the 'ineal and re!ulates the slee' cycle. But e.en without .isual cues, the le.el o/ melatonin in the 0lood rises and /alls on a daily *circadian+ cycle with 'eak le.els occurrin! in the wee hours o/ the mornin!. 2elatonin is readily a.aila0le in dru! stores and health /ood stores, and it has 0ecome <uite 'o'ular. In!estin! e.en modest doses o/ melatonin raises the melatonin le.el in the 0lood to as much as )$$ times !reater than normal. These le.els a''ear to 'romote !oin! to slee' and

thus hel' insomnia, to hasten reco.ery /rom Aet la! and do not ha.e dan!erous side e//ects. ,s 'hotoneuroendocrine transducer, the P: modulates many o/ 'hysiolo!ical systems acti.ity accordin! to circadian rhythms. It is a 'art o/ the system controllin! ada'ti.e reactions o/ or!anism on .arious conditions o/ en.ironment. The 'ineal !land 0elon!s to circum.entricular or!ans ha.in! no 0lood90rain 0arrier. Conse<uently, this or!an is hi!hly sensiti.e to macromolecular 0iolo!ically acti.e su0stances circulatin! with the cere0ral 0lood /low. Pineal indolamine and 'e'tide hormones in/luence immune /unctions. 2elatonin, in 'articular, increases immune memory while T9 de'endent anti!en immuni;ation stimulates the anti0ody 'roduction. Pinealectomy or constant li!ht re!ime, which su''resses 'ineal acti.ity, 'romotes tumor 'rocesses, whereas melatonin inAections resulted in the decrease o/ carcino!enesis. 2any in.esti!ators attach too much im'ortance to melatonin, i!norin! the other 'ineal hormones and 'ineal /unction in the day9 time. But e6ce't melatonin, the 'ineal !land 'roduces a multitude o/ 'e'tides. These 'e'tides ha.e a wide ran!e o/ acti.ity. In 'articular, they are a0le to su''ress -N, synthesis in tumor cells and to selecti.ely modulate DN, transcri'tion. The most interestin! 'ineal 'e'tides 'ro'erties are, normali;ation o/ !eneral immune /unctions, su'ressin! tumors, 'rotection a!ainst stress, antia!in! e//ects *li/e e6tension+ and circadian rhythm re!ulation. The 'rotein Beta9li'otro'in, that is 'roduced 0y the P:, is some @$$ amino acids in len!th. It is clea.ed at .arious 'oints 0y di//erent en;ymes in res'onse to chan!es in the transcri'tion o/ DN,. These chan!es in DN, transcri'tion /luctuate with the rhythmic ener!y /luctuations o/ the Hea.enly Bodies. The se.eral 'oly9'e'tides 'roduced a//ect the Hy'othalamus in di//erent ways, which will 0e discussed later. The Hy'othalamus is the main neuroendocrine tar!et /or P: secretions.

Hy'othalamus and Pituitary :land

The hy'othalamus is the .entral 'art o/ the dience'halon that /orms the /loor and 'art o/ the lateral wall o/ the third .entricle. ,natomically, it includes the 'reo'tic area, o'tic tract, o'tic chiasm, mamillary 0odies, tu0er cinereum, in/undi0ulum, and neurohy'o'hysis *'ituitary !land+, 0ut /or 'hysiolo!ical 'ur'oses the neurohy'o'hysis is considered a distinct structure. The hy'othalamus may 0e di.ided into /our re!ions *anterior, dorsalis, intermedia, and 'osterior+ or into three lon!itudinal ;ones *'eri.entricular ;one, medial ;one, and lateral ;one+. The hy'othalamic nuclei constitute that 'art o/ the corticodience'halic mechanism that acti.ates, controls and inte!rates the 'eri'heral autonomic mechanisms, endocrine acti.ity, and many somatic /unctions. The hy'othalamus secretes .aso'ressin and o6ytocin, which are stored in the 'ituitary, as well as many releasin! /actors *hy'o'hysiotro'ic hormones+, 0y means o/ which it e6erts control o.er /unctions o/ the anterior 'ortion o/ the 'ituitary !land. The main /unction o/ the hy'othalamus is rheostasis *a more correct term than homeostasis+, or maintainin! the 0odyCs status <uo. Factors such as 0lood 'ressure, 0ody tem'erature, /luid and electrolyte 0alance, and 0ody wei!ht are held to a 'recise .alue called the set9'oint. ,lthou!h this set9'oint can mi!rate o.er time, /rom day to day it is remarka0ly /i6ed. To achie.e this task, the hy'othalamus must recei.e in'uts a0out the state o/ the 0ody, and must 0e a0le to initiate com'ensatory chan!es i/ anythin! dri/ts out o/ whack. The in'uts include( ). nucleus o/ the solitary tract 9 this nucleus collects all o/ the .isceral sensory in/ormation /rom the .a!us and relays it to the hy'othalamus and other tar!ets. In/ormation includes 0lood 'ressure and !ut distension.

#. reticular /ormation 9 this catchall nucleus in the 0rainstem recei.es a .ariety o/ in'uts /rom the s'inal cord. ,mon! them is in/ormation a0out skin tem'erature, which is relayed to the hy'othalamus. =. retina 9 some /i0ers /rom the o'tic ner.e !o directly to a small nucleus within the hy'othalamus called the su'rachiasmatic nucleus. This nucleus re!ulates circadian rhythms, and cou'les the rhythms to the li!ht4dark cycles. @. circum.entricular or!ans 9 these nuclei are located alon! the .entricles, and are uni<ue in the 0rain in that they lack a 0lood90rain 0arrier. This allows them to monitor su0stances in the 0lood that would normally 0e shielded /rom neural tissue. E6am'les are the V8T, which is sensiti.e to chan!es in osmolarity, and the area 'ostrema, which is sensiti.e to to6ins in the 0lood and can induce .omitin!. Both o/ these 'roAect to the hy'othalamus. %. lim0ic and ol/actory systems 9 structures such as the amy!dala, the hi''ocam'us, and the ol/actory corte6 'roAect to the hy'othalamus, and 'ro0a0ly hel' to re!ulate 0eha.iors such as eatin! and re'roduction. The hy'othalamus also has some intrinsic rece'tors, includin! thermorece'tors and osmorece'tors to monitor tem'erature and ionic 0alance, res'ecti.ely. nce the hy'othalamus is aware o/ a 'ro0lem, how does it /i6 itD Essentially, there are two main out'uts( ). neural si!nals to the autonomic system 9 the *lateral+ hy'othalamus 'roAects to the *lateral+ medulla, where the cells that dri.e the autonomic systems are located. These include the 'arasym'athetic .a!al nuclei and a !rou' o/ cells that descend to the sym'athetic system in the s'inal cord. 3ith access to these systems, the hy'othalamus can control heart rate, .asoconstriction, di!estion, sweatin!, etc. #. endocrine si!nals to4throu!h the 'ituitary 9 recall that an endocrine si!nal is a chemical si!nal sent .ia the 0loodstream. 8ar!e hy'othalamic cells around the third .entricle send their a6ons directly to the 'osterior 'ituitary, where the a6on terminals release o6ytocin and .aso'ressin into the 0loodstream. 5maller cells in the same area send their a6ons only as /ar as the 0ase o/ the 'ituitary, where they em'ty releasin! /actors into the ca'illary system o/ the anterior 'ituitary. These releasin! /actors induce the anterior 'ituitary to secrete any one o/ at least si6 hormones, includin! ,CTH and thyroid9stimulatin! hormone *T5H+. &ltimately the hy'othalamus can control e.ery endocrine !land in the 0ody, and alter 0lood 'ressure *throu!h .aso'ressin and .asoconstriction+, 0ody tem'erature, meta0olism *throu!h T5H+, and adrenaline le.els *throu!h

,CTH+. Parts o/ the hy'othalamus that are .isi0le in 0asal and mid9sa!ittal .iews o/ the !ross 0rain include the mammillary 0ody and the in/undi0ulum *tu0er cinereum+. The Pituitary :land, also known as the hy'o'hysis, is a roundish or!an that lies immediately 0eneath the hy'othalamus, restin! in a de'ression o/ the 0ase o/ the skull called the sella turcica *1Turkish saddle1+. In an adult human, the 'ituitary is rou!hly the si;e and sha'e o/ a !ar0on;o 0ean. The hy'o'hysis is connected to the hy'othalmus a0o.e it 0y ner.es *'osterior 'ituitary+ and 0y a 0lood rete *anterior 'ituitary+.

The anterior Pituitary is /ormed 0y an ascendin! out'ocket o/ the roo/ o/ the mouth that meets with the 'osterior as a downward e6tension o/ the hy'othalamus. The 'ituitary !land is o/ten 'ortrayed as the 1master !land1 o/ the 0ody. 5uch 'raise is Austi/ied in the sense that the anterior and 'osterior 'ituitary secrete a 0attery o/ hormones that collecti.ely in/luence all cells and a//ect .irtually all 'hysiolo!ic 'rocesses. The 'ituitary !land may 0e kin!, 0ut the 'ower 0ehind the throne is clearly the hy'othalamus. ,s alluded to in the last section, some o/ the neurons within the hy'othalamus 9 neurosecretory neurons 9 secrete hormones that strictly control secretion o/ hormones /rom the anterior 'ituitary. The hy'othalamic hormones are re/erred to as releasin! hormones and inhi0itin! hormones, re/lectin! their in/luence on anterior 'ituitary hormones. Hy'othalamic releasin! and inhi0itin! hormones are carried directly to the anterior 'ituitary !land .ia hy'othalamic9hy'o'hyseal 'ortal .eins. 5'eci/ic hy'othalamic hormones 0ind to rece'tors on s'eci/ic anterior 'ituitary cells, modulatin! the release o/ the hormone they 'roduce. ,s an e6am'le, thyroid9 releasin! hormone /rom the hy'othalamus 0inds to rece'tors on anterior 'ituitary cells called thyrotro'hs, stimulatin! them to secrete thyroid9 stimulatin! hormone or T5H. The anterior 'ituitary hormones enter the systemic circulation and 0ind to their rece'tors on other tar!et or!ans. In the

case o/ T5H, the tar!et or!an is the thyroid !land. Clearly, ro0ust control systems must 0e in 'lace to 're.ent o.er or under9 secretion o/ hy'othalamic and anterior 'ituitary hormones. , 'rominent mechanism /or control o/ the releasin! and inhi0itin! hormones is ne!ati.e /eed0ack. The /ollowin! ta0le summari;es the maAor hormones synthesi;ed and secreted 0y the 'ituitary !land, alon! with summary statements a0out their maAor tar!et or!ans and 'hysiolo!ic e//ects. Eee' in mind that summaries are Aust that, and on!oin! research continues to delineate additional, sometimes .ery im'ortant e//ects.
----Anterior Pituitary --------------------Posterior Pituitary --------Growth Hormone Thyroid-stimulatin& Hormone Adrenocorticotro ic Hormone Prolactin $uteini.in& Hormone 0ollicle-Stimulatin& Hormone Hormone (a)or (a)or Physiolo&ic ,%%ects tar&et or&an*s+ Promotes &rowth *indirectly+, control $iver, adi ose o% rotein, li id and car#ohydrate tissue meta#olism Stimulates secretion o% thyroid Thyroid &land hormones Adrenal &land Stimulates secretion o% *corte'+ &lucocorticoids (ammary Gland (il- roduction /vary and Testis Control o% re roductive %unction /vary and Testis Control o% re roductive %unction Conservation o% #ody water Stimulates mil- e)ection and uterine contractions

Antidiuretic Hormone 1idney /'ytocin /vary

,s seen in the ta0le a0o.e, the anterior 'ituitary synthesi;es and secreted F maAor hormones. , /inal 'oint to 0e made is that indi.idual cells within the anterior 'ituitary secrete a sin!le hormone *or 'ossi0ly two in some cases+. Thus, the anterior 'ituitary contains at least si6 distincti.e endocrinocytes.

Thyroid ? Parathyroid :lands

The Thyroid :land is located Aust 0elow the .oice0o6. It has # maAor lo0es Aoined 0y a small isthmas o/ tissue. Closely associated with the Thyroid are the Parathyroid :lands, one 'air on either side *u''er ? lower+. Normal thyroid !land /unction de'ends on 'ro'er chemical si!nalin! 0etween the thyroid !land, the hy'othalamus *the 'art o/ the 0rain where Thyrotro'in -eleasin! Hormone is made+, the 'ituitary and the 'rostate in males40ul0o9urethral

!land in /emales. The 'roducts o/ the thyroid, thyro6ine and triiodothyronine, ). re!ulate the 0asal meta0olic rate o/ all the cells o/ the 0ody, #. /i!ure 'rominently in the early de.elo'ment o/ the central ner.ous system and !rowth =. are .ery sta0le, hydro'ho0ic steroid9like com'ounds. The 'arathyroid !land secretes Calcitonin which re!ulates 0lood calcium le.els. The sole 'ur'ose o/ the 'arathyroid !lands is to control calcium within the 0lood in a .ery ti!ht ran!e 0etween G.% and )$.% m!4ml. In doin! so, 'arathyroid !lands also control how much calcium is in the 0ones, and there/ore, how stron! and dense the 0ones are. Parathyroid hormone *PTH+ has a .ery 'ower/ul in/luence on the cells o/ the 0ones which causes them to release their calcium into the 0loodstream. , ne!ati.e /eed0ack o/ hi!h calcium le.els in the 0lood result in lower release o/ PTH. ,nother way in the 'arathyroid hormone acts to increase 0lood le.els o/ calcium is throu!h its in/luence on the intestines. &nder the 'resence o/ 'arathyroid hormone the linin! o/ the intestine 0ecomes more e//icient at a0sor0in! calcium normally /ound in our diet.

Thymus :land
The thymus !land lies in the u''er 'art o/ the mediastinum 0ehind the sternum and e6tends u'wards into the root o/ the neck. It wei!hs a0out )$ to )% !m.*a0out hal/ an ounce+ at 0irth and 0e!ins to !row until the indi.idual reaches 'u0erty when it 0e!ins to atro'hy. ItHs ma6imum wei!ht is around =$ 9 @$! *around ) to ).% ounces+ 0y the a!e o/ @$ it has returned to itHs wei!ht at 0irth. The thymus consists o/ two lo0es connected 0y areolar tissue. The lo0es are enclosed in a /i0rous ca'sule which di's into their su0stance di.idin! them into lo0ules that consist o/ an irre!ular 0ranchin! /ramework o/ e'ithelial cells and lym'hocytes. 8ym'hocytes ori!inate /rom haemocyto0lasts *stem cells+ in red 0one marrow. Those that enter the thymus mature and de.elo' into acti.ated T9lym'hocytes i.e. a0le to res'ond to anti!ens encountered elsewhere in the 0ody. They then di.ide into two !rou's ( those that enter the 0lood, some o/ which remain in circulation and some lod!e in other lym'hoid tissue ? those that remain in the thymus !land and are the source o/ /uture !enerations o/ T9lym'hocytes. The maturation o/ the thymus and other lym'hoid tissue is stimulated 0y thymosin, a hormone secreted 0y the e'ithelial cells that /orm the /ramework o/ the thymus !land. In.olution o/ the !land 0e!ins in adolescence and, with increasin! a!e the e//ecti.eness o/ T9 lym'hocyte res'onse to anti!ens declines.

Islets o/ 8an!erhans
The 0ulk o/ the 'ancreas is an e6ocrine !land secretin! 'ancreatic /luid into the duodenum a/ter a meal. Howe.er, scattered throu!h the 'ancreas are se.eral hundred thousand clusters o/ cells called 1islets o/ 8an!erhans1. The islets are endocrine tissue containin! /our ty'es o/ cells. In order o/ a0undance, they are the( ). 0eta cells, which secrete insulin #. al'ha cells, which secrete !luca!on =. delta cells, which secrete somatostatin, and @. !amma cells, which secrete a 'oly'e'tide that su''resses a''etite. The 0eta cells o/ the islets secrete insulin. Insulin is a small 'rotein consistin! o/ an al'ha chain o/ #) amino acids linked 0y two disul/ide *595+ 0rid!es to a 0eta chain o/ =$ amino acids. Beta cells ha.e channels in their 'lasma mem0rane that ser.e as !lucose detectors. Beta cells secrete insulin in res'onse to a risin! le.el o/ circulatin! !lucose *10lood su!ar1+. Insulin a//ects many or!ans( ). Insulin stimulates li.er cells to take u' !lucose /rom the 0lood and con.ert it into !lyco!en #. stimulates skeletal muscle /i0ers to take u' amino acids /rom the 0lood and con.ert them into 'rotein =. acts on /at *adi'ose+ cells to stimulate the synthesis o/ /at. In each case, insulin tri!!ers these e//ects 0y 0indin! to the insulin rece'tor 9 a transmem0rane 'rotein em0edded in the 'lasma mem0rane o/ the res'ondin! cells. The al'ha cells o/ the islets secrete !luca!on, a 'oly'e'tide o/ #I amino acids. :luca!on acts 'rinci'ally on the li.er where it stimulates the con.ersion o/ !lyco!en into !lucose *1!lyco!enolysis1+ which is de'osited in the 0lood. :luca!on secretion is stimulated 0y low le.els o/ !lucose in the 0lood and inhi0ited 0y hi!h le.els. The 'hysiolo!ical si!ni/icance o/ this is that !luca!on /unctions to maintain a steady le.el o/ 0lood su!ar le.el 0etween meals. Taken to!ether, all o/ these actions result in the stora!e o/ the solu0le nutrients a0sor0ed /rom the intestine into insolu0le, ener!y9rich 'roducts *!lyco!en, 'rotein, /at+ and a dro' in the le.el o/ 0lood su!ar. The delta cells secrete somatostatin. This consists o/ two 'oly'e'tides, one o/

)@ amino acids *the most acti.e+ and one o/ #G. 5omatostatin has a .ariety o/ /unctions. Taken to!ether, they work to reduce the rate at which /ood is a0sor0ed /rom the contents o/ the intestine. 5omatostatin is also secreted 0y the hy'othalamus and 0y the stomach. The !amma cells o/ the islets secrete a =F amino9acid lon! 'oly'e'tide. This 'oly'e'tide a''ears to 'lay a role in a''etite su''ression.

:onads ? ,ccessory 5e6ual :lands

The :onads are the re'roducti.e or!ans in which the !erm cells are /ound and the !ametes 'roduced. The !onads, or !enitals, include the testicles in the male

and the o.aries in the /emale.

The autonomic ner.ous system inner.ates the !onads with 0oth sym'athetic and 'arasym'athetic ner.e 'athways. These 'arasym'athetic ner.es ori!inate in the s'inal cord at the second, third, and /ourth sacral .erte0rae. The sym'athetic ner.es o/ this re!ion ori!inate in the lower 'ortion o/ the sym'athetic trunk, as well as /rom the hy'o!astric 'le6us *which links to the in/erior mesenteric !an!lion+. The !enitourinary system includes the urinary and re'roducti.e or!ans. Because these or!ans are located in the same area o/ the 0ody, and share some /unctions, they o/ten are treated to!ether. The urinary system o/ 0oth male and /emale are essentially the same, with the

nota0le e6ce'tion that the urethra, in the male, continues out throu!h the 'enis, while, in the /emale, it o'ens into the .a!ina. The re'roducti.e systems o/ the male and /emale are each !eared toward /ul/illin! s'eci/ic roles. The maleCs is desi!ned to !enerate s'erm cells containin! hal/ o/ the !enetic material necessary /or the de.elo'ment o/ a 0a0y and deli.er that material to the /emaleCs system. The /emaleCs re'roducti.e system is desi!ned to !enerate an o.um, or e!!, which carries the other hal/ o/ the !enetic material, to 0e /ertili;ed 0y the s'erm cells /rom the male. The /emaleCs re'roducti.e tract is also desi!ned to su''ort the !estatin! /etus until it is 0orn, a''ro6imately nine months a/ter /ertili;ation. 2ale se6 hormones, as a !rou', are called andro!ens. The 'rinci'al andro!en is testosterone, which is secreted 0y the testes. , small amount is also 'roduced 0y the adrenal corte6. Production o/ testosterone 0e!ins durin! /etal de.elo'ment, continues /or a short time a/ter 0irth, nearly ceases durin! childhood, and then resumes at 'u0erty. This steroid hormone is res'onsi0le /or( ). The !rowth and de.elo'ment o/ the male re'roducti.e structures #. Increased skeletal and muscular !rowth =. Enlar!ement o/ the laryn6 accom'anied 0y .oice chan!es @. :rowth and distri0ution o/ 0ody hair %. Increased male se6ual dri.e Testosterone secretion is re!ulated 0y a ne!ati.e /eed0ack system that in.ol.es releasin! hormones /rom the hy'othalamus and !onadotro'ins /rom the anterior 'ituitary. Two !rou's o/ /emale se6 hormones are 'roduced in the o.aries, the estro!ens and 'ro!esterone. These steroid hormones contri0ute to the de.elo'ment and /unction o/ the /emale re'roducti.e or!ans and se6 characteristics. ,t the onset o/ 'u0erty, estro!ens 'romotes( ). The de.elo'ment o/ the 0reasts #. Distri0ution o/ /at e.idenced in the hi's, le!s, and 0reast =. 2aturation o/ re'roducti.e or!ans such as the uterus and .a!ina Pro!esterone causes the uterine linin! to thicken in 're'aration /or 're!nancy. To!ether, 'ro!esterone and estro!ens are res'onsi0le /or the chan!es that occur in the uterus durin! the /emale menstrual cycle.

,drenal Corte6 ? 2edulla

,drenal !lands, which are also called su'rarenal !lands, are small, trian!ular !lands located on to' o/ 0oth kidneys. ,n adrenal !land is made o/ two 'arts( the outer re!ion is called the adrenal corte6 and the inner re!ion is called the adrenal medulla. The adrenal !lands work interacti.ely with the hy'othalamus and 'ituitary !land in the /ollowin! 'rocess( ). the hy'othalamus 'roduces corticotro'in9releasin! hormones, which stimulate the 'ituitary !land #. the 'ituitary !land, in turn, 'roduces corticotro'in hormones, which stimulate the adrenal !lands to 'roduce corticosteroid hormones. Both 'arts o/ the adrenal !lands, the adrenal corte6 and the adrenal medulla, 'er/orm .ery se'arate /unctions. The adrenal corte6, the outer 'ortion o/ the adrenal !land, secretes hormones that ha.e an e//ect on the 0odyCs meta0olism, on chemicals in the 0lood, and on certain 0ody characteristics. The adrenal corte6 secretes corticosteroids and other hormones directly into the 0loodstream. The hormones 'roduced 0y the adrenal corte6 include( ). hydrocortisone 9 this hormone, also known as cortisol, controls the 0odyCs use o/ /ats, 'roteins, and car0ohydrates. #. corticosterone 9 this hormone, to!ether with hydrocortisone hormones, su''resses in/lammatory reactions in the 0ody and also a//ects the immune system. =. aldosterone 9 this hormone inhi0its the le.el o/ sodium e6creted into the urine, maintainin! 0lood .olume and 0lood 'ressure. @. andro!enic steroids *andro!en hormones+ 9 these hormones ha.e minimal e//ect on the de.elo'ment o/ male characteristics. The adrenal medulla, the inner 'art o/ the adrenal !land, is not essential to li/e, 0ut hel's a 'erson in co'in! with 'hysical and emotional stress. The adrenal medulla secretes the /ollowin! hormones( ). e'ine'hrine *also called adrenaline+ 9 this hormone increases the heart rate and /orce o/ heart contractions, /acilitates 0lood /low to the muscles and 0rain, causes rela6ation o/ smooth muscles, hel's with con.ersion o/ !lyco!en to !lucose in the li.er, and other acti.ities. #. nore'ine'hrine *also called noradrenaline+ 9 this hormone has little e//ect on smooth muscle, meta0olic 'rocesses, and cardiac out'ut, 0ut

has stron! .asoconstricti.e e//ects, thus increasin! 0lood 'ressure. ,s you !et older, you sto' 'roducin! the direct 'recurser to the many sterols9 DHE,. DHE,, *'ronounced dee9hi9dro9e''9ee9ann9dro9stehr9own+, is a0le to 0e 'urchased o.er the counter in /ood stores. :o here /or !ood 0ack!round in/ormation9 5mart Dru! &'date. I/ you /ind yoursel/ de.elo'in! /ood aller!ies, 0ack o// on the dose you are takin!. 5mall 'ersons9 )$ m!. once a day in the mornin!. 8ar!e 'ersons9 #% m!. once a day in the mornin!. 2ore is N T 0etter7 ,0use o/ DHE, will cause heat in the Heart777 To check /or this, ru0 the s'ot on the 0reast 0one midway 0etween the 0reasts. I/ this s'ot is sore, you ha.e Heart heat7 5to' takin! DHE, and massa!e this s'ot until the soreness !oes away. This will take some time, not ri!ht away.

C NC8&5I N5
3hat conclusions may we 0rin! /rom this in/ormationD ne conclusion is that it is not so easy to sim'li/y .arious distinct systems into a neat little 'acka!e. It is easy to /or!et that the wisdom o/ the ancients is o/ an earlier time o/ lesser understandin!. For any systematic 'resentation o/ a 0ody o/ knowled!e to remain static is to 0e le/t 0ehind in o0li.ion. In this case we ha.e attem'ted to show that at least /our elements are mer!ed in a conce'tual /ramework( 5u0tle Ener!ies, Neuroendocrine ? Hormonal 'roducts, Human Beha.iors and Central Ner.ous 5ystem Inte!ration.

BIB8I :-,PHB
). BENE- ,0stract No. )%$%@. THE PINE,8 :8,ND ,ND C,NCE-. *En!.+ -onco, ,. 8.J Hal0er!, F. KNatl. Cancer -e!istry o/ &ru!uay, Natl. Inst. o/ ncolo!y, Pascual Costa =#%I4)#)#, ))L$$ 2onte.ideo, &ru!uay *--4,.8.-.+J Chrono0iolo!y 8a0s., &ni.. o/ 2innesota, 2innea'olis, 2innesota *F.H.+M ,nticancer -es )F*@,+(#$==9#$@$J )IIF *FG -e/s+. #. The 2otor 5ystem9Neuroanatomy -e.iew( htt'(44www.d.umn.edu4Nameredit4Neuro!enicO#$s'eech O#$disorders4neuroanatomynotes.htm =. Introduction to Neuroanatomy( htt'(44www.d.umn.edu4Nameredit4anatomysite4neurointronotes.htm @. )( Endocr -es. #$$) Fe092ayJ#L*)9#+()@=9%#. Prostate9thyroid a6is( 'rostatic T-H is one o/ the stimulators o/ thyroid hormone. 2aran --, -a.ichandran E, ,runakaran ". De'artment o/ Endocrinolo!y, &ni.ersity o/ 2adras, Chennai, India. rmanimaranPhotmail.com