Thyrotropes work like a thermostat. They check how much thyroid hormone is in your blood and tell your thyroid gland to make more when it's low.
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Thyrotropes (say THY-roe-tropes) live in the front part of your pituitary gland, a pea-sized gland under your brain.
They are one of the rarest kinds of cells in the pituitary. Even so, their job is very important.
They make a hormone called TSH, which stands for thyroid-stimulating hormone. Stimulating means getting something to work.
Thyrotropes and your thyroid talk back and forth all day long, like two friends passing notes!
TSH travels in the blood to your thyroid gland in your neck. It tells the thyroid cells to make thyroid hormone.
This back-and-forth is called a feedback loop. It works like a thermostat that keeps a room not too hot and not too cold.
Scroll up to the 3D model and press Send TSH.