neurosecretion The secretion of neurohormones by neurosecretory cells, which possess characteristics of both nerve cells and endocrine cells. They are found, for example, in the hypothalamus, where they receive nerve impulses from other parts of the brain but transmit these signals to the pituitary gland by neurohormones that are released into the blood. Like other neurons, neurosecretory cells consist of a cell body, from which extends a slender axon that ends in a terminal region. The cell bodies typically form a cluster, or nucleus, within the central nervous system. Secretory material is synthesized in the cell body and passes along the axon to the terminus, from where it is secreted into an adjacent blood space. Several termini may form a distinct body, called a neurohaemal organ. Discharge of the secretory materials is triggered by action potentials passing down the axon from the cell body, like the discharge of neurotransmitters by conventional neurons.

neurosecretion A secretion by nerve cells of chemical compounds, including neurotransmitters and neurohormones.

neurosecretion (newr-oh-si-kree-shŏn) n. any substance produced within, and secreted by, a nerve cell. Important examples are the hormone-releasing factors produced by the cells of the hypothalamus.