What happens when the posterior pituitary stops releasing vasopressin? · Grey Matter

Without vasopressin the collecting ducts of the kidney cannot insert their aquaporin water channels, so water that should be reclaimed leaves in the urine.

What happens when the posterior pituitary stops releasing vasopressin?

Without vasopressin the collecting ducts of the kidney cannot insert their aquaporin water channels, so water that should be reclaimed leaves in the urine. The result is central diabetes insipidus: large volumes of dilute urine, often several litres a day, and intense thirst that keeps the person drinking to match. Its causes are damage to the hypothalamus, the stalk or the posterior pituitary (surgery, trauma, tumours), and it is treated with a synthetic analogue of the hormone.