Clinical Endocrinology: A Review of Adrenal Gland Hormonal and Endocrine Metabolic Disorders.

Adrenal Gland The adrenal glands are controlled in part by the brain. The hypothalamus, a small area of the brain involved in hormonal regulation, produces corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and vasopressin (also known as antidiuretic hormone). Vasopressin and CRH trigger the pituitary gland to secrete corticotropin (also known as adrenocorticotropic hormone or ACTH), which stimulates the adrenal glands to produce corticosteroids. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, regulated mostly by the kidneys, causes the adrenal glands to produce more or less aldosterone. The body controls the levels of corticosteroids according to need. The levels tend to be much higher in the early morning than later in the day. When the body is stressed, due to illness or otherwise, the levels of corticosteroids increase dramatically.