In: Anatomy and Physiology
When catecholamines are produced as hormones (rather than as neurotransmitters), they travel through the ______ instead of across a synapse, which makes their signal more ______.
When catecholamines are produced as hormones they travel through the blood stream instead of across a synapse, which makes their signal more long life and slow.
Catecholamines are produced from sympathetic nervous system and brain, but it is also produced from the adrenal medulla of the adrenal glands. So when they are produced from the sympathetic nervous system, they acts faster and for short duration, because they travel through the connected neurons. But when the catecholamines are produced from the adrenal glands situated above the kidney, they acts as endocrine hormone as travel through the blood stream. As endocrine hormones travel through the blood stream, they reach their target organs slowly or takes more time than the nerve signals, also they are produced in more amount hence have long life as compare to the nerve signals which have short life. Catecholamines as hormone consists of dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine.