Interactions between hypothalamic and peripheral hormones in the control of prolactin secretion.

The absence of nerve terminals in the anterior pituitary gland offers the possibility of studying a pure population of dopamine (DA) receptors. This study is facilitated by the use of anterior pituitary cells in primary culture, which permit the measurement of a precise parameter under typical dopaminergic control, namely prolactin secretion. On the other hand, since DA is the main hypothalamic factor controlling prolactin secretion, in vivo...