Pineal gland - Structure and composition

The pineal gland or epiphysis, is a small endocrine gland. It is located near the center of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join. It is also referred to as the pineal body. Pineal gland - Location. The pineal gland is a small, pea-sized, (8 mm in humans) reddish-gray body located above the superior colliculus and behind and beneath the stria medullaris, between the laterally positioned thalamic bodies. It is part of the epithalam ...

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• Pineal gland - Location
• Pineal gland - Structure and composition
• Pineal gland - Function
• Pineal gland - Mythology

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The pineal gland consists mainly of pinealocytes, but four other cell types have been identified: interstitial cells, perivascular phagocyte, pineal neurons and peptidergic neuron-like cells. The pineal body has nervous tissue, and consists of follicles lined by epithelium and enveloped by connective tissue. These follicles contain a variable quantity of gritty material, called brain sand, acervuli, or corpora arenacea, which is composed of calcium phosphate, calci ...

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Pineal gland, Pineal gland - Location, Pineal gland - Structure and composition, Pineal gland - Function, Pineal gland - Mythology

Read more here: » Pineal gland: Encyclopedia II - Pineal gland - Structure and composition

The pineal gland is responsible for the production of melatonin, which is regulated in a circadian rhythm. Melatonin is a derivative of the amino acid tryptophan. The production of melatonin by the pineal gland is stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light. The retina detects the light and directly signals and entrains the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). Fibers project from the SCN to the paraventricular nuclei (PVN) which relays the circadian signals to the spinal cord and out via the sympathetic system to superior cervical ganglia (S ...

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Pineal gland, Pineal gland - Location, Pineal gland - Structure and composition, Pineal gland - Function, Pineal gland - Mythology

Read more here: » Pineal gland: Encyclopedia II - Pineal gland - Function

The pineal gland is a small, pea-sized, (8 mm in humans) reddish-gray body located above the superior colliculus and behind and beneath the stria medullaris, between the laterally positioned thalamic bodies. It is part of the epithalamus. The pineal gland is a midline structure and is often seen in plain skull X-rays as it is often calcified. ...

See also:

Pineal gland, Pineal gland - Location, Pineal gland - Structure and composition, Pineal gland - Function, Pineal gland - Mythology

Read more here: » Pineal gland: Encyclopedia II - Pineal gland - Location