Function and disease of the pituitary gland have long been at the center of research interest. Based on a recent scientific meeting held in Angra dos Reis, Brazil, this volume of Frontiers of Hormone Research presents the latest research results: specialists from Latin and North America, Europe and Australia discuss in their contributions different aspects of pathogenesis, diagnostics and therapy of pituitary disease and pituitary tumors. Topics covered include pituitary cell development and organization in adult pituitary, tumorigenesis, prolactinomas, growth hormone and acromegaly, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and Cushing disease. This update on basic and clinical pituitary research is essential reading for endocrinologists, neuroendocrinologists and neurosurgeons as well as researchers and biochemists interested in the different aspects of pituitary physiopathology.