Which of the following areas of the adrenal gland would you expect to increase in activity in a patient subjected to salt restriction?
This question requires you to equate salt restriction with an increased synthesis of aldosterone (aldosterone promotes sodium reabsorption) and then to remember that aldosterone is produced in the zona glomerulosa of the adrenal coex. The zona glomerulosa is the outermost layer of the adrenal coex. The adrenal medulla secretes catecholamines. The zona fasciculata is the middle layer of the adrenal coex. It primarily secretes glucocoicoids. The zona reticularis is the innermost layer of the adrenal coex. It primarily secretes androgens such as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Ref: Barrett K.E., Barman S.M., Boitano S., Brooks H.L. (2012). Chapter 20. The Adrenal Medulla & Adrenal Coex. In K.E. Barrett, S.M. Barman, S. Boitano, H.L. Brooks (Eds), Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology, 24e.
Adrenal medulla
Zona fasciculata of the adrenal coex
Zona glomerulosa of the adrenal coex
Zona reticularis of the adrenal coex