Pituitary stalk

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Brain: Pituitary stalk
Pituitary gland representation.PNG
Pituitary stalk not labeled, but is the vertical blue portion.
Gehirn, basal - beschriftet lat.svg
Basal view of a human brain (Infundibulum labeled third from the top on right)
Latin infundibulum neurohypophyseos
Gray's subject #189 813
NeuroNames hier-388
MeSH Pituitary+Stalk
Also see infundibulum for other uses of the term.

The pituitary stalk (also known as the infundibular stalk or simply the infundibulum) is the connection between the hypothalamus and the posterior pituitary.

It carries axons from the magnocellular neurosecretory cells of the hypothalamus down to the posterior pituitary where they release their hormones into the blood.

This connection is called the hypothalamohypophyseal tract, and is responsible for the release of oxytocin and antidiuretic hormone.

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