Final answer:
The brain processes and responds to stimuli in the nervous system, and the endocrine system's glands release hormones. The nervous and endocrine systems are interconnected, with the brain's hypothalamus playing a critical role in coordination.
Step-by-step explanation:
The organ that is responsible for processing and responding to stimuli in the nervous system is the brain. The endocrine system has glands, which release hormones.
In general, the nervous system involves quick responses to rapid changes in the external environment, while the endocrine system is slower acting, maintaining homeostasis, and controlling reproduction. One of the primary communications between these two systems occurs during the fight-or-flight response. It is the fast action of the nervous system that stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete hormones, enabling rapid endocrine responses to sudden changes in both the external and internal environments.
The endocrine system consists of several glands that release hormones to regulate different body processes. These hormones act on target cells with specific receptors to elicit a response, influencing development, growth, energy metabolism, reproduction, and many behaviors. The hypothalamus in the brain plays a crucial role in integrating the endocrine and nervous systems by controlling the endocrine cells in the pituitary gland and adrenal medulla through hormonal and neuronal signals.