 in vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea and weighing  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 synthesises 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). ==structure== the pituitary gland is a pea-sized gland that sits in a protective bony enclosure called the sella turcica. it is composed of three lobes: anterior, intermediate, and posterior. in many animals, these three lobes are distinct. however, in humans, the intermediate lobe is but a few cell layers thick and indistinct; as a result, it is often considered part of the anterior pituitary. in all animals, the fleshy, glandular anterior pituitary is distinct from the neural composition of the posterior pituitary. it belongs to the [[di
Endocrine_system Glands Human_head_and_neck Neuroendocrinology