1. Pertaining to the anatomic and functional relationships between the nervous system and the endocrine apparatus. 2. Descriptive of cells that release a hormone into the circulating blood in response to a neural stimulus. Such cells may compose a peripheral endocrine gland ( e.g., the insulin-secreting beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas and the adrenaline-secreting chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla); others are neurons in the brain ( e.g., the neurons of the supraoptic nucleus that release antidiuretic hormone from their axon terminals in the posterior lobe of the hypophysis).
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neu·ro·en·do·crine -'en-də-krən, -.krīn, -.krēn adj
1) of, relating to, or being a hormonal substance that influences the activity of nerves
2) of, relating to, or functioning in neurosecretion
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neu·ro·en·do·crine (noor″o-enґdo-krin) pertaining to the interactions between the nervous and endocrine systems and to hormones such as vasopressin and gastrin (neurohormones) that are elaborated in the neurons or neuronlike cells (neuroendocrine cells).Medical dictionary. 2011.