Which hormone is regulated by a neuroendocrine reflex involving the pituitary gland and hypothalamus?

The regulation of oxytocin is indeed mediated by a neuroendocrine reflex that involves both the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. Oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and stored in the posterior pituitary gland. When certain stimuli occur, such as uterine contractions during childbirth or suckling during breastfeeding, sensory neurons relay this information to the hypothalamus. In response, the hypothalamus signals the posterior pituitary to release oxytocin into the bloodstream.

This release leads to uterine contractions during labor and facilitates lactation by promoting milk ejection during breastfeeding. The neuroendocrine reflex is characterized by the direct influence of neural signals on hormone release, making oxytocin a prime example of this process.

Other hormones listed, while they may involve pituitary regulation, do not utilize the same neuroendocrine reflex process as oxytocin. For example, prolactin is primarily regulated by the inhibition of dopamine from the hypothalamus rather than direct neuroendocrine stimulus; vasopressin, or antidiuretic hormone (ADH), is also released from the posterior pituitary but in response to different types of osmotic and blood pressure changes; and growth hormone is regulated through