The comparative anatomy of the hypophysis, with special reference to its blood supply and innervation

Abstract

This paper is primarily concerned with the coniparative anatoiiiy of pituitary vessels and nerves. Other aspects of the histology aiid cytology of the gland will also be considered, especially in those species which have received little attention. Except in the niammals, little is known about hypophyseal vessels arid accounts of the innervation of the hypophysis a r e inadequate arid contradictory.Shorter investigatioiis of these structures in some common laboratory mammals (Green and IIarris, '46, '47) , in several amphibians (Green, '47) and in man (Green, '48) have been made. Evidence was brought forward (Green and Harris, '46, '47; Green, '46; Harris, '48) that these vessels a r e SO disposed that they may carry substances f r o m the mediaii eminence to the pars distalis. It was indicated that such an arrangemcrit might be concerned in the regulation of the adenohypophysis by the nervous system and that this hypotliesis did, in fact, accord very well with the experimental evidence. The possibility that the hypophysioportal system may play a p a r t in regulating the activity of the pars distalis has, of course, been foreseen by several observers, e.g. TTiiisep ( '37) , Brooks ( '38) and Harris ( '44). Taubellhaus and ' J o h n and hlnry R. lllnrkle ScIiolar in Medical Sciencr. 2% 226 J O H N DAVIS GREEN PITUITARY VESSELS A N D NERVES 227 numbers in parentheses represent the numbers of spec+iiiiciis. NIaiiy otlier pituitaries were studied in less detail. Cephalochorda : Anvphioxus laiweolatus (36). Cyclostomata : A m m o c e t e s (Entosphenus laiiiotteiiii) (4), Entosphewus lai~otteizii, adult (4) , Ichthyomytaoiz uizicrcspis (1 ), Pctrontyzon, wzarinus (11). Elasmobranchii : Selachii -Sq~ualus acniithias ( 2 ) : Eatoidea -Rnja erivzacca (a), Raja stabuliforiizis ( I ) , R a j a d i a p h a m s (1).

Quantitative and histomorphological studies on age-correlated changes in canine and porcine hypophysis

“…; Xuereb et al, 1954aXuereb et al, , 1954bGreen, 1957;Stanfield, i960), in the monkey (Wislocki and King, 1936;Wislocki, 1938aWislocki, , 1938bHolmes and Zuckerman, 1959), in the sheep Prichard, 1957a, 1957b;Baldwin, 1964), in the goat (Daniel and Prichard, 1958;Adams £t 1964b), in the horse (Baldwin, 1964;BrettSchneider, 1955), in cattle (Baldwin and Bell, 196O; Dellmann, I960; Baldwin, 1964;Cummings and Habel, 1966), in the cat (Wislocki and King, 1936;Wislocki, 1937c;Green and Harris, 1947; Torok, 196O; Szentagothai e^^., I968), in the rabbit (Wislocki and King, 1936;Harris, 1947), in the rat (Green and Harris, (Green, 1951;Daniel, 1966). In species where the internal carotid artery remained patent in the adult animals, it was estab lished that the rostral hypophysial arteries took their origin from the intra-arachnoid portion of the internal carotid or from the caudal communicating artery (Basir, 1932;Torok, 1964;Stanfield, 196O).…”

“…The vascularity of the Junctional zone with the pars intermedia is especially prominent (Christ, 1966;Gabe, 1966). In many species, the two lobes have a common vascular supply (Green, 1951).…”

“…The latter prevents the hypophysis from coming into on the caudal extension of the infundibular recess (Green, 195I;Hanstrom, 1966). In some species of mammals (cat, sheep, tiger and lion), the recessus infundibuli even extends up to variable depths into the pars distalis neurohypophysis (Green, 1951;Herlant, 1951;Hanstrom, 1966).…”

Blood vascular architecture of the rat cerebral hypophysis and hypothalamus. A dissection/scanning electron microscopy of vascular casts.

“…Light microscope methods have also long shown that in man and various animals, including the rat, the primary capillary plexus of the hypophyseal portal system has many communications with the hypothalamic vessels (for reference, see : DANIEL, 1966;GREEN, 1966;WINGSTRAND, 1966;BERGLAND and PAGE, 1979). However, these communications have been a subject of controversy.…”

“…The conventional light microscope method has long established that in man and various animals, including the rat that the hypophyseal portal system originates in the primary capillary plexus in the median eminence, infundibulum and stalk, and terminates in the secondary capillary plexus in the pars distalis (for references, see : DANIEL, 1966;CHRIST, 1966;GREEN, 1966;WINGSTRAND, 1966;BERGLAND and PAGE, 1979). Scanning observation of the vascular casts has clearly comfirmed in the monkey, dog, rat and some other animals this, or long portal system, as well as the so-called short portal system connecting the infundibular process and pars distalis (MURAKAMI, 1975a, b ;PAGE et al, 1976PAGE et al, , 1978PAGE and BERGLAND, 1977;LAMETSCHWANDTNER et al, 1977;PAGE, 1978, 1979;OHTANI et al, 1983;KIKUTA et al, 1984;MURAKAMI et al,' 1985).…”