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pineal gland
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pineal gland
The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
pineal gland , small organ (about the size of a pea) situated in the brain . Long considered vestigial in humans, the structure, which is also called the pineal body or the epiphysis, is present in most vertebrates. It is sensitive to different levels of light and is essential to the functioning of an animal's biological clock. In many animals, including humans, the pineal gland synthesizes a hormone called melatonin in periods of darkness. Melatonin synthesis is halted when light hits the retina of the eye, sending impulses to the gland via the optic nerve. Besides influencing daily, or circadian, rhythms such those of as sleep and temperature, the pineal gland and melatonin appear to direct annual rhythms and seasonal changes in animals. The pineal gland and melatonin are now being studied for their roles in sleep, reproduction, aging, and seasonal affective disorder . In humans the pineal gland begins to produce melatonin at age 3 months; production falls steadily from puberty on.
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The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press
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A Median Third Eye: Pineal Gland Retraces Evolution of Vertebrate Photoreceptive Organs[dagger]
; ABSTRACT In many vertebrates, the pineal gland serves as a photoreceptive neuroendocrine...hence the comparative studies on the pineal gland and the retina are the keys to deciphering...molecular instrumentation intrinsic to the pineal gland, back to back with those to the retina...
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Eye to (third) eye; scientists are taking advantage of unexpected similarities between the eye's retina and the brain's pineal gland.
; ...animals. The retina and the pineal gland are the organs primarily...findings suggest that the pineal gland was the evolutionary precursor...brain. In contrast, the pineal gland uses nerve signals from...speculation that melatonin in humans strongly influences mood...rhythm is ...
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Melatonin and the pineal gland.
; ...widespread effects and optimal functioning of the pineal gland is essential to our well-being. ********** The pineal gland was once considered a vestigial organ, comparable...Approximately 45 years ago, it was discovered that the pineal gland was not a decayed remnant of the ...
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TINY GLAND MAY KEY SEASONAL HUMAN MOODS
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Pineal gland speaks to the brain.
; Pineal gland speaks to brain The mammalian pineal gland, which sets the daily rhythm of hormone release that underlies...signals go just one way--no nerve signals travel from the pineal gland back to the brain. But in the Feb. 14 SCIENCE, researchers...
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The hibernation response and winter depression.
; ...hibernation response in humans? Whybrow and...the lizard the pineal gland actually resembles...secretes melatonin. Humans also possess a pineal gland. Unlike the lizard...creatures the pineal gland begins producing...others, including humans, melatonin levels...
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Seasonal Variations of Gonadotropins and Prolactin in the Laboratory Rat. Role of Maternal Pineal Gland
; ...on the possible influence of maternal pineal gland upon seasonal variations of the offspring...of this study indicate that maternal pineal gland of the laboratory rat is involved in...of the offspring. Key words Maternal pineal gland * Seasonal variations * Gonadotropins...
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The effect of polarized versus nonpolarized light on melatonin regulation in humans
; ...Thus, the human pineal gland is responsive...normal vision in humans and other mammals...behavior (3,4). The pineal gland hormone, melatonin...connected to the pineal gland via a multisynaptic...circadian system. In humans, as in most animal...regulation of the ...
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The avian pineal gland; a model of the biological clock.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
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; ...in sexual development in humans and seasonal breeding in animals (patterns humans once followed). Melatonin...and bringing vivid dreams. Humans naturally produce melatonin deep inside the brain in the pineal gland. What's sold at health food...eventually lands in the pineal ...
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pineal gland (pineal body) ( pin -i-ăl) n. a pea-sized mass of nerve tissue attached by a stalk to the posterior wall of the third ventricle of the brain. It functions as a gland, secreting the hormone melatonin. Anatomical name: epiphysis.
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