The demonstration of the hormone mclatonin (N-acetyl-Bmethoxytryptamine) in bovine pineal gland (1) prompted a study of the enzymes involved in its formation and metabolism. In preliminary studies (2, 3) we described an enzyme, hydroxyindole-O-methyl transferase, in the pineal gland of cows, that catalyzes the 0-methylation of N-acetyl-serotonin to melatonin. This paper describes the purificati...

1. Choline acetyltransferase activity and [3H]quinuclidinyl benzylate-binding sites were detected in the pineal gland of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats and of spontaneously hypertensive rats. 2. In vitro, muscarinic activation by pilocarpine increased the pineal metabolic production of hydroxyindole derivatives up to 5-hydroxytryptamine and produced a less marked stimulation of melatonin biosyn...

Participation of the pineal gland and melatonin in the innate immune response is part of a dynamic and intricate network that acts throughout the inflammatory response, integrating signaling pathways and regulatory processes at the molecular, cellular and organism levels. The pineal gland is a target for pathogen-associated molecular patterns and for inflammatory mediators, and melatonin, which...

Glial cysts of the pineal gland are benign and mostly asymptomatic incidental lesions found in the brain MRI or at autopsy examinations. In rare cases pineal cysts become symptomatic and require surgical intervention. Symptomatic glial cysts may be clinically and radiologically indistinguishable from cystic neoplasms of the pineal region; therefore, histopathological diagnosis is critical for f...

Our perception of pineal gland function has attained new dimensions during the last decade. The gland is active throughout the life of an individual and secretes melatonin, the major pineal hormone, and many indoles and polypeptides. The secretion of pineal gland is regulated not only by sympathetic nerve fibers but by other central pinealopetal projections also. Many neurotransmitter-receptor ...

The pineal gland is a unique organ that synthesizes melatonin as the signaling molecule of natural photoperiodic environment and as a potent neuronal protective antioxidant. An intact and functional pineal gland is necessary for preserving optimal human health. Unfortunately, this gland has the highest calcification rate among all organs and tissues of the human body. Pineal calcification jeopa...

The master circadian clock in fish has been considered to reside in the pineal gland. This dogma is challenged, however, by the finding that most zebrafish tissues contain molecular clocks that are directly reset by light. To further examine the role of the pineal gland oscillator in the zebrafish circadian system, we generated a transgenic line in which the molecular clock is selectively block...

Significance has been attached to the pineal gland in numerous different cultures and beliefs. One religion that has advanced the role of the pineal gland is Spiritism. The objective of the present study was to compile information on the pineal gland drawing on the books of Francisco Cândido Xavier written through psychography and to carry out a critical analysis of their scientific bases by co...

Chronic stress affects brain areas involved in learning and emotional responses. These alterations have been related with the development of cognitive deficits in major depression. Moreover, stress induces deleterious actions on the epithalamic pineal organ, a gland involved in a wide range of physiological functions. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the stress effects on the pi...

PURPOSE Pineal gland calcification has been proposed to play a role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. This study evaluated the prevalence and extent of pineal gland calcification in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of patients referred for dental implant therapy who could possibly be a vulnerable group for this condition. MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective evaluation of 5...