The pituitary gland is a pea-sized gland located in the center of the skull, inferior to the hypothalamus of the brain and posterior to the bridge of the nose. It is an important link between the nervous and endocrine systems and releases many hormones which affect growth, sexual development, metabolism and human reproduction.
The pituitary gland, also known as the hypophysis, is connected to the hypothalamus of the brain by a tiny isthmus of nervous tissue called the infundibulum.