<P> In vertebrate anatomy , the pituitary gland , or hypophysis , is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 grams ( 0.018 oz ) in humans . It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain . The hypophysis rests upon the hypophysial fossa of the sphenoid bone in the center of the middle cranial fossa and is surrounded by a small bony cavity ( sella turcica ) covered by a dural fold ( diaphragma sellae ) . The anterior pituitary ( or adenohypophysis ) is a lobe of the gland that regulates several physiological processes ( including stress , growth , reproduction , and lactation ) . The intermediate lobe synthesizes and secretes melanocyte - stimulating hormone . The posterior pituitary ( or neurohypophysis ) is a lobe of the gland that is functionally connected to the hypothalamus by the median eminence via a small tube called the pituitary stalk ( also called the infundibular stalk or the infundibulum ) . </P>
<P> In vertebrate anatomy , the pituitary gland , or hypophysis , is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing 0.5 grams ( 0.018 oz ) in humans . It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain . The hypophysis rests upon the hypophysial fossa of the sphenoid bone in the center of the middle cranial fossa and is surrounded by a small bony cavity ( sella turcica ) covered by a dural fold ( diaphragma sellae ) . The anterior pituitary ( or adenohypophysis ) is a lobe of the gland that regulates several physiological processes ( including stress , growth , reproduction , and lactation ) . The intermediate lobe synthesizes and secretes melanocyte - stimulating hormone . The posterior pituitary ( or neurohypophysis ) is a lobe of the gland that is functionally connected to the hypothalamus by the median eminence via a small tube called the pituitary stalk ( also called the infundibular stalk or the infundibulum ) . </P>
part of the brain that controls the secretions of the pituitary gland
part of the brain that controls the secretions of the pituitary gland
intermediate lobe
intermediate lobe