Video Transcript
A brain imaging scan has been
prescribed to a patient with hormonal imbalance. Which of the following structures
is going to be examined? (A) The sexual glands, (B) the
pituitary gland, (C) the thyroid gland, or (D) the adrenal glands.
To answer this question, let’s
first clarify some terms, starting with hormonal imbalance. A variety of endocrine glands exist
in the human body. These glands produce chemical
messengers called hormones that are released into the blood and travel throughout
the body to reach their target cells. When they reach their target cells,
hormones modulate their activity. Through this mechanism, hormones
adjust many bodily functions so that the body maintains homeostasis, a state of
optimal functioning. This means that to remain healthy,
endocrine glands need to release the right amount of hormones, not too little, not
too much. Otherwise, a person can develop a
hormonal imbalance, which is often unhealthy.
Many factors can cause a hormonal
imbalance to develop, for example, a tumor or a lesion that causes an endocrine
gland to release abnormal amounts of hormone. There are various ways to screen
for problems in endocrine glands, for example, by using imaging scans. The question tells us that the body
region that is going to be scanned is the brain. This suggests that the endocrine
gland causing the hormonal imbalance in the patient is located in or near the
brain. Within the choice of answers, the
only endocrine gland located in the brain region is the pituitary gland, which is
located at the base of the brain.
Therefore, we can deduce that the
right answer is (B). The structure that is going to be
examined using a brain scan is the pituitary gland.
