Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (551 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Hormones secreted by the pituitary gland including those from the anterior lobe (adenohypophysis), the posterior lobe (neurohypophysis), and the ill-defined intermediate lobe. Structurally, they include small peptides, proteins, and glycoproteins. They are under the regulation of neural signals (neurotransmitters) or neuroendocrine signals (hypothalamic hormones) from the hypothalamus as well as feedback from their targets such as adrenal cortex hormones; androgens; estrogens.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Hormones, Pituitary.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Peptide Hormones
- Narrower topics
- Pituitary Hormones, Anterior; Pituitary Hormones, Posterior
- See also
- Hypopituitarism; Receptors, Pituitary Hormone
Related concepts
- Pituitary Gland
- Neurotransmitters
- Hypothalamic Hormones
- Adrenal Cortex Hormones
- Androgens
- Estrogens
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 297,648 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Pituitary Hormones” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 21,492 of them (7.2%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 191,034 records.
Reviews account for 26,454 records (8.9%) and meta-analyses for 1,186. Randomized controlled trials number 9,885 (3.3%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 191,034 |
| 2000-2009 | 47,546 |
| 2010-2019 | 37,576 |
| 2020 onward | 21,492 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 26,454 | 8.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 1,186 | 0.4% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 9,885 | 3.3% |
Method: PubMed query "Pituitary Hormones"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long-acting growth hormone for treating growth hormone deficiency in children: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials focusing on changes in body mass index | 2026 | Meta-analysis Design not recorded in structured metadata | 6 | cc by PMID 41787735 · DOI · PMC13099199 |
| Oxytocin facilitates social behavior of female rats via selective modulation of interneurons in the medial prefrontal cortex | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 5 | cc by PMID 41720765 · DOI · PMC12923783 |
| Stable clique membership in male mouse societies requires oxytocin-enabled social sensory states | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42608410 · DOI · PMC13484484 |
Long-acting growth hormone for treating growth hormone deficiency in children: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials focusing on changes in body mass index [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgoundThe purpose of this study is to compare the effect of long-acting growth hormone (LAGH) to daily GH on body mass index (BMI) in children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD).
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionAn increase in body mass index SD score is associated with the first year of LAGH use.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (265 words)
BackgoundThe purpose of this study is to compare the effect of long-acting growth hormone (LAGH) to daily GH on body mass index (BMI) in children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD).MethodsWe searched the PubMed database from its inception to July 2025 and identified three relevant randomized controlled trials lasting over 6 months, with extension phases providing longitudinal BMI data. Longitudinal BMI data were available for lonapegsomatropin, somatrogon, and somapacitan, but not for polyethylene glycol LAGH.ResultsA total of 585 patients were included in the present analysis, of which 346 were in the LAGH group, and 239 were in the daily rhGH group, derived from seven original articles and two abstracts/ePosters. At 12 months, there was a significant difference in BMI SD scores between LAGH and daily GH groups (Mean difference [MD] 0.66 SDS [95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04-1.29]). BMI SDS significantly increased in the LAGH group (MD + 0.41 SDS [95% CI 0.04-0.77] from 0 to 12 months), whereas it did not change in the daily GH group (MD -0.35 SDS [95% CI -0.76 to +0.07] from 0 to 12 months). Between 12 and 24 months, after switching from daily GH to LAGH (daily GH/LAGH), or pursuing LAGH (LAGH/LAGH) in the extension phases of the studies, BMI SDS significantly increased in the daily GH/LAGH switching group (MD + 0.75 SDS [95% CI 0.24-1.27] from 12 to 24 months), whereas it remained steady in the LAGH/LAGH group. Omitting one study at a time from the meta-analysis did not materially affect the results.ConclusionAn increase in body mass index SD score is associated with the first year of LAGH use.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41787735 · DOI · PMC13099199
Oxytocin facilitates social behavior of female rats via selective modulation of interneurons in the medial prefrontal cortex [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin is best known for its prosocial behavioral effects.
- Closing excerpt
- We further demonstrate that activation of these OTR+ interneurons inhibits principal cells specifically projecting to the basolateral amygdala, thus providing a putative mechanism of selective oxytocin action in this sociability-promoting cortical network.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (126 words)
The hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin is best known for its prosocial behavioral effects. However, the precise anatomical and cellular targets for oxytocin in the cortex during social behavior remain elusive. Here we show that oxytocin neurons project directly to the medial prefrontal cortex where evoked axonal oxytocin release facilitates social behaviors in adult female rats. In conjunction, we report that local oxytocin receptor-expressing (OTR+) cells are predominantly interneurons, whose activation promotes social interaction. Notably, this prosocial effect persists even under physiological challenge (hunger), pointing to a dedicated prosocial circuit capable of overriding primary survival drives. We further demonstrate that activation of these OTR+ interneurons inhibits principal cells specifically projecting to the basolateral amygdala, thus providing a putative mechanism of selective oxytocin action in this sociability-promoting cortical network.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41720765 · DOI · PMC12923783
Stable clique membership in male mouse societies requires oxytocin-enabled social sensory states [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- The ability to establish stable de novo relationships in complex environments is essential for social functioning but disrupted in disorders such as autism.
- Closing excerpt
- Our findings identify oxytocin-dependent social sensory states as a necessary mechanism for forming stable relationships in complex social networks.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (160 words)
The ability to establish stable de novo relationships in complex environments is essential for social functioning but disrupted in disorders such as autism. Yet, the mechanisms supporting higher-order bonding in large groups remain unclear. Here, we introduce a naturalistic model of clique formation in mouse societies, using longitudinal tracking from large-scale video data. We show that small, stable cliques emerged from the specific group configurations. Consistently, also kinship did not significantly facilitate entry. These cohesive cliques resembled human mutually interacting rich-clubs, exhibiting high social rank and influence over non-members. We next examined whether oxytocin signaling in the olfactory cortex supports such higher-order bonding. Despite preserved social motivation, mice with conditional oxytocin receptor deletion in this sensory cortex failed to join rich-clubs, approached peers less consistently, and received unstable reciprocal connections. This network-level disorganization demonstrates how social dynamics can magnify individual deficits. Our findings identify oxytocin-dependent social sensory states as a necessary mechanism for forming stable relationships in complex social networks.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42608410 · DOI · PMC13484484
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Sniffing around oxytocin: review and meta-analyses of trials in healthy and clinical groups with implications for pharmacotherapy [4]
- Research article A sniff of trust: meta-analysis of the effects of intranasal oxytocin administration on face recognition, trust to in-group, and trust to out-group [5]
- Research article The correlation between central and peripheral oxytocin concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article ACTH Stimulation Tests for the Diagnosis of Adrenal Insufficiency: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [7]
- Research article Thyrotropin and thyroid cancer diagnosis: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Neurophysiological effects of acute oxytocin administration: systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled imaging studies [9]
References
- Levaillant L, Bouhours-Nouet N, Emeriau F, Donzeau A, Rouleau S, Villanueva C, et al.. Long-acting growth hormone for treating growth hormone deficiency in children: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials focusing on changes in body mass index. . 2026. PMID 41787735 · DOI · PMC13099199
- Schimmer S, Kania A, Lefevre A, Afordakos K, Wang KY, Lebedeva J, et al.. Oxytocin facilitates social behavior of female rats via selective modulation of interneurons in the medial prefrontal cortex. . 2026. PMID 41720765 · DOI · PMC12923783
- Nelias C, Ghanayem S, Wolf D, Moor M, Nikolantonaki D, Turgut ED, et al.. Stable clique membership in male mouse societies requires oxytocin-enabled social sensory states. . 2026. PMID 42608410 · DOI · PMC13484484
- Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ, van I Jzendoorn MH. Sniffing around oxytocin: review and meta-analyses of trials in healthy and clinical groups with implications for pharmacotherapy. Transl Psychiatry. 2013. PMID 23695233 · DOI · PMC3669921
- Van IJzendoorn MH, Bakermans-Kranenburg MJ. A sniff of trust: meta-analysis of the effects of intranasal oxytocin administration on face recognition, trust to in-group, and trust to out-group. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2012. PMID 21802859 · DOI
- Valstad M, Alvares GA, Egknud M, Matziorinis AM, Andreassen OA, Westlye LT, et al.. The correlation between central and peripheral oxytocin concentrations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2017. PMID 28442403 · DOI
- Ospina NS, Al Nofal A, Bancos I, Javed A, Benkhadra K, Kapoor E, et al.. ACTH Stimulation Tests for the Diagnosis of Adrenal Insufficiency: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2016. PMID 26649617 · DOI
- McLeod DS, Watters KF, Carpenter AD, Ladenson PW, Cooper DS, Ding EL. Thyrotropin and thyroid cancer diagnosis: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012. PMID 22622023 · DOI
- Wigton R, Radua J, Allen P, Averbeck B, Meyer-Lindenberg A, McGuire P, et al.. Neurophysiological effects of acute oxytocin administration: systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled imaging studies. J Psychiatry Neurosci. 2015. PMID 25520163 · DOI · PMC4275335
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.