Your friend says that he’s pretty sure that the adrenal medulla is controlled by hormones from the pituitary. Do you agree? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

You should not agree. The adrenal medulla is stimulated by the release of acetylcholine from preganglionic sympathetic nerves from the spinal levels T5-L2. The adrenal cortex, however, is controlled by the release of pituitary hormones and is part of the HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis. The hypothalamus will release corticotropin-releasing hormone to stimulate the adenohypophysis (anterior pituitary) to release adreno-corticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH stimulates the adrenal cortex to release cortisol and DHEA.