Question

Name the hormone which is also known as ‘fight or flight’ hormone. Also name the gland from which this hormone is released.

Answer 1

Hint: This hormone is produced in the medulla in the adrenal glands as well as some of the central nervous system's neurons. It releases quickly during a stressful situation into the blood and sends impulses to organs to create a specific response.

Complete answer:
Adrenaline is a major neurotransmitter and is produced in the medulla of the adrenal glands and in some neurons of the central nervous system. It is released into the bloodstream and serves as a chemical mediator, and also as a communicator between nerve impulses to various organs. Adrenaline can have many different actions that mainly depend on the type of cells it is acting upon. However, the overall effect of adrenaline is to prepare the body for the ‘fight or flight’ response in times of stress or danger, i.e. for a vigorous or sudden reaction. Key actions of adrenaline mainly are increased heart rate, expanded air passages of the lungs, increased blood pressure, an enlarged pupil in the eye, redistributed blood to the muscles, and altered body’s metabolism. These key actions help to maximize blood glucose levels primarily for the brain and also increase the oxygen levels in the muscles. It should be noted that there is a continuous low level of activity of the sympathetic nervous system resulting in the release of noradrenaline into the circulation, but adrenaline is only released at times of acute stress.

So the answer to this question is ‘Adrenaline hormone released from the adrenal gland’

Additional information:
Through the activation of nerves, adrenaline is produced. These specific nerves are connected to the adrenal glands of the body, which triggers the production of the hormone adrenaline and thus increases the levels of the hormone in the blood. This process happens within 2 to 3 minutes of the stressful event being encountered.
Stress may also stimulate the release of this hormone from the pituitary gland, which promotes the production of the steroid hormone cortisol from the cortex of the adrenal glands. This steroid hormone functions mainly to alter the body’s metabolism for example: raising plasma glucose under conditions of longer-term, ongoing, or chronic, rather than acute, stress.

Notes:
Sometimes adrenaline or noradrenaline is overproduced in the body and may be caused by an adrenal tumor termed pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma (if it is located outside the adrenal but along the nerves of the sympathetic nervous system that runs through the chest and abdomen) but occurs very rarely. Such tumors may also be due to genetics.