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Pineal Gland Abstracts: 1992

Note: the following is a limited selection of abstracts available at PubMed, Science Direct, and Toxnet.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1485734&dopt=Abstract

Ann N Y Acad Sci 1992 Dec 26;673:53-7

No Abstract available

Effect of pineal peptide preparation (epithalamin) on life span and pineal and serum melatonin level in old rats.

Anisimov VN, Bondarenko LA, Khavinson VKh.

N. N. Petrov Research Institute of Oncology, St. Petersburg, Russia.

PMID: 1485734 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1491808&dopt=Abstract

Neurosci Lett 1992 Dec 7;147(2):201-4

Light suppression of nocturnal pineal and plasma melatonin in rats depends on wavelength and time of day.

Honma S, Kanematsu N, Katsuno Y, Honma K.

Department of Physiology, Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.

Effects of light on the pineal and plasma melatonin were examined in Wistar and Long-Evans rats at two different times in the dark phase (light off from 18.00 h to 06.00 h) using lights of two different monochromatic wavelengths but with the same irradiance. The green light pulse (520 nm) given at 24.00 h suppressed the pineal and plasma melatonin to the day-time level for at least 2 h, while the red light (660 nm) pulse given at the same time of the day suppressed pineal melatonin only transiently and did not suppress the plasma melatonin at all. Both green and red lights given at 4.00 h suppressed the pineal and plasma melatonin to a similar extent. The results demonstrated that the suppression of melatonin by light depends on the wavelength of light and the circadian phase.

PMID: 1491808 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1493230&dopt=Abstract

Neuroreport 1992 Dec;3(12):1152-4

Novel anticonvulsant action of chronic melatonin in gerbils.

Champney TH, Champney JA.

Department of Human Anatomy and Medical Neurobiology, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University Health Science Center, College Station 77843-1114.

Melatonin, a hormone from the pineal gland, was tested for its anticonvulsant effects in male gerbils. Daily administration of melatonin (25 micrograms injection-1, s.c.) for ten weeks reduced the number and severity of seizures (total convulsion score: 7.67 +/- 1.83 in controls vs 2.47 +/- 0.90 in melatonin-injected animals, p < 0.05) associated with the injection of the convulsant, pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, 60 mg kg-1, s.c.). However, neither 12 weeks of short photoperiod exposure (LD 10:14) nor biweekly administration of melatonin pellets altered PTZ-induced convulsions. Overall, melatonin-injected gerbils were better able to survive and respond to seizures than control animals. No melatonin-injected gerbils died during seizure induction (0/31) while 5 out of 33 control gerbils died after PTZ injection. The mechanism for melatonin's anticonvulsant effects could be due to a direct inhibitory action on neural activity or a conversion of melatonin to an anticonvulsant compound that resembles the kynurenines.
PMID: 1493230 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1486561&dopt=Abstract

Cancer Genet Cytogenet 1992 Dec;64(2):127-32

Cytogenetic study of a pineocytoma.

Rainho CA, Rogatto SR, de Moraes LC, Barbieri-Neto J.

Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, PR, Brazil.

The cytogenetic findings based on G-banding in a pineocytoma detected in a 29-year-old woman are reported. The chromosomal study showed numerical alterations involving chromosomes X, 5, 8, 11, 14, and 22, structural alterations of chromosomes 1, 3, 12, and 22, as well as various markers. Tumors of the pineal region are infrequent, and this is the first report of a pineocytoma studied cytogenetically.

PMID: 1486561 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1295547&dopt=Abstract

Arch Histol Cytol 1992 Dec;55(5):477-89

Two components of the pineal organ in the mink (Mustela vison): their structural similarity to submammalian pineal complexes and calcification.

Vigh B, Vigh-Teichmann I. Second

Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University Medical School, Budapest, Hungary.

The pineal complex in the mink (Mustela vison) consists of a larger ventral and a smaller dorsal pineal. Both organs contain pinealocytes, neurons, glial cells, nerve fibers and synapses in an organization characteristic of nervous tissue. The cellular elements are arranged circularly around strait lumina. These lumina correspond to the photoreceptor spaces of submammalian pineals. A 9 + 0-type cilium marks the receptory pole of the pinealocytes which may form an inner-segment-like dendrite terminal in the pineal lumina. The cilia correspond to outer segments which form photoreceptor membrane multiplications in the pineal of submammalians and in certain insectivorous and mustelid mammals (bat, hedgehog, ferret). Axonal processes of the pinealocytes contain synaptic ribbons and terminate on intrapineal neurons of both organs. This pattern represents a neural efferentation of the pineal nervous tissue. The axonal processes of pinealocytes also form neurohormonal endings which pierce the perivascular limiting glial membrane in the ventral as well as in the dorsal pineal. The upper pineal ("epipineal") of the mink may correspond to the parapineal, frontal, or parietal organs of submammalian pineal complexes. Both pineals are encapsulated by the meningeal tissue of the brain stem. Afferent vasomotor axons of the meninges innervate smooth muscle cells of pineal arterioles. There are corpora arenacea in the pineal arachnoid and in the pineal nervous tissue, primarily in the ventral pineal. The localization of calcium ions detected around the membrane of pineal cells by pyroantimonate cytochemistry suggests membrane activity as the source of the calcium ions. The accumulation of calcium by the pinealocytes may be due to their neurosensory character. The mink is the first animal described to have both intrapineal and meningeal concrements like the human pineal.

PMID: 1295547 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1305641&dopt=Abstract

Int J Neurosci. 1992 Nov-Dec;67(1-4):9-17.

The pineal gland and the mode of onset of schizophrenia.

Sandyk R.

Department of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461.

Recent studies suggest that abnormal melatonin functions may be implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Since there is evidence that the presence of pineal calcification (PC) may relate, among other factors, to disturbances in melatonin secretion, I investigated in 23 chronic institutionalized schizophrenic patients the relationship of PC size on CT scan to the mode of onset of schizophrenia which carries both developmental and prognostic significance. Patients with gradual onset schizophrenia had PC size that was significantly larger than those with sudden onset (8.94 +/- 3.96 mm vs. 4.80 +/- 1.75 mm p < .025). These findings suggest that the nature of onset of schizophrenia may be influenced by the activity of the pineal gland, which may exert a role in the development and prognosis of the illness.

PMID: 1305641 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1305634&dopt=Abstract

Int J Neurosci. 1992 Nov-Dec;67(1-4):19-30.

Pineal and habenula calcification in schizophrenia.

Sandyk R.

Department of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461.

Animal data indicate that melatonin secretion is stimulated by the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus and that lesions of the PVN mimic the endocrine effects of pinealectomy. Since the PVN lies adjacent to the third ventricle, I propose that periventricular damage, which is found in schizophrenia and may account for the third ventricular dilatation seen on computed tomographic (CT), may disrupt PVN-pineal interactions and ultimately enhance the process of pineal calcification (PC). To investigate this hypothesis, I conducted CT study on the relationship of PC size to third ventricular width (TVW) in 12 chronic schizophrenic patients (mean age: 33.7 years; SD = 7.3). For comparison, I also studied the relationship of PC size to the ventricular brain ratio and prefrontal cortical atrophy. As predicted, there was a significant correlation between PC size and TVW (r pbi = .61, p < .05), whereas PC was unrelated to the control neuroradiological measures. The findings support the hypothesis that periventricular damage may be involved in the process of PC in schizophrenia and may indirectly implicate damage to the PVN in the mechanisms underlying dysfunction of the pineal gland in schizophrenia. In a second study, I investigated the prevalence of habenular calcification (HAC) on CT in a cohort of 23 chronic schizophrenic-patients (mean age: 31.2 years; SD = 5.95). In this sample HAC was present in 20 patients (87%). Since the prevalence of HAC in a control population of similar age is only 15% these data reveal an almost 6-fold higher prevalence of HAC (X2 = 84.01, p < .0001) in chronic schizophrenia as compared to normal controls. The implications of HAC for the pathophysiology of schizophrenia are discussed in light of the central role of the habenula in the regulation of limbic functions.

Publication Types: Review; Review, Tutorial

PMID: 1305634 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1287193&dopt=Abstract

J Pineal Res. 1992 Nov;13(4):174-83.

The pineal gland of the trumpet-tailed rat (Octodon degus).

Uria H, Antolin I, Tolivia D, Rodriguez-Colunga MJ, Menendez-Pelaez A.

Departamento de Morfologia y Biologia Celular, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Oviedo, Spain.

The structure and ultrastructure of the pineal gland of the degu or trumpet-tailed rat (Octodon degus), a rodent inhabiting tropical-equatorial areas, was examined under light and electron microscopy. On the basis of its form, size, and location, the pineal gland of the degu is classified as a proximal or "A" type. The connective tissue appeared poorly developed and the gland contained non-fenestrated capillaries. A single population of typical pinealocytes was found. In addition, a small number of glial cells and cells with electron dense bodies appeared scattered throughout the gland. Cells with dense granules were found isolated or forming small groups always in close proximity to blood vessels. Numerous sympathetic nerve fibers with small dense-core vesicles were found. Also, some myelinated nerve fibers were observed. The physiological significance of the presence of large electron-dense granules in some pineal cells and their particular location around the blood vessels in discussed.

PMID: 1287193 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1484344&dopt=Abstract

J Pineal Res. 1992 Oct;13(3):97-100.

Participation of the pineal gland in sexual maturation of female rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum).

Popek W, Bieniarz K, Epler P.

Department of Ichthyobiology and Fisheries, Academy of Agriculture, Krakow, Poland.

In the study rainbow trout, pinealectomized at two different periods of their sexual cycle, i.e., at either 1 or 5 months before spawning, were studied. It was found that the lack of the pineal gland in the period directly preceding the spawning had no statistical effect on either spawning or the number of females that produced eggs. Pinealectomy performed during vitellogenesis delayed spawning by about 2 weeks and resulted in the absence of ovulation in 20% of the females. The results suggest that the pineal gland may influence the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis by altering the maturation period and controlling spawning in the rainbow trout.

PMID: 1484344 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1457987&dopt=Abstract

Histol Histopathol. 1992 Oct;7(4):643-6.

Immunohistochemical localization of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in rat pineal stalk astrocytes.

Lopez-Munoz F, Boya J, Calvo JL, Marin F.

Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, University Complutense, Madrid, Spain. In the present work, the presence and distribution of astrocytes in the rat pineal stalk is investigated applying an immunohistochemical technique for the demonstration of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) on Epon-embedded semithin sections (0.5 micron thick). GFAP-immunoreactive cells are evenly and regularly distributed along the entire pineal stalk. The GFAP-immunoreactive cells display a stellate shape showing variable numbers of cell processes that are mainly oriented parallel to the longitudinal stalk axis. Astrocytic processes show a clear tendency to encircle the remaining elements of the pineal stalk; i.e., pinealocytes, nerve fibres and blood vessels. Furthermore, glial processes form a cover layer separating the stalk from surrounding anatomical structures.

PMID: 1457987 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1453310&dopt=Abstract

J Pineal Res. 1992 Sep;13(2):66-71.

Androgenic function in adult rats: influence of the pineal gland of the mother and of the offspring.

Jarrige JF, Boucher D.

Laboratoire de Physiologie Faculte de Medecine, Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Female rats exposed to long (LD 18:6) or short (LD 6:18) photoperiods from 21 days of age were mated when they reached 55 days of age. On day 2 of gestation animals of each group were either pinealectomized or sham-operated. Lighting regimens were not changed during the course of the study. Male offspring of the four groups of dams were sacrificed on day 70 after birth. Rats that were maintained on long photoperiod had higher testicular testosterone, androstenedione, and dihydrotestosterone content than those raised on a LD 6:18 cycle. Whatever the breeding photoperiod used, maternal pinealectomy induced no modification of reproductive function. Among rats kept in short photoperiod, neonatal pinealectomy (on day 5 after birth) resulted in an enhanced testicular androgen content without any modification of plasma androgen concentration. These results indicate that
(1) the previously reported effect of the mother's pineal on pubertal rat testicular function is not present in adulthood and
(2) the pineal of the offspring is required to maintain normal testicular androgen content in the adult rat but exerts no influence on circulating androgens.

PMID: 1453310 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1394280&dopt=Abstract

Childs Nerv Syst. 1992 Sep;8(6):332-6.

Controversy pertaining to therapeutic modalities for tumors of the pineal region: a worldwide survey of different patient populations.

Oi S, Matsumoto S.

Department of Neurosurgery, Kobe University, School of Medicine, Japan.

The management of tumors of the pineal region differs between Western countries and Japan. This paper reports on a worldwide survey of individual experience and regimens for treating pineal region tumors in different patient populations. Fifteen pediatric neurosurgeons from nine different countries participated in the survey, and a total of 408 pineal region tumors were evaluated. Determination of tumor histology as an initial procedure was strongly supported by the majority of neurosurgeons in North and Central America and Europe (group A), whereas all but one from Asia and Egypt (group B) emphasized initial application of the radiation test. The analysis of patient populations clearly revealed racial differences in tumor type which explain this discrepancy. Germinoma, the most radiosensitive tumor, constituted 43-70% (mean: 53.7%) of tumors in group B, followed by teratoma, pineoblastoma, and others, whereas in group A the incidence of germinoma was only 21-44% (mean: 34.7%), followed by a variety of tumors, such as astrocytoma, pineoblastoma, etc. The age distribution among intracranial germ cell tumors (GCT) obtained from data from the Brain Tumor Registry in Japan also demonstrated clear differences in the incidence of tumor types in different age groups in Japan: while germinoma constituted 70-84% of GCT in patients between the ages of 15 and 35 years, the incidence was much lower before 15 years and after 35 years, being 24% of tumors under 4 years and 34% of tumors after 40 years of age. The therapeutic regimen for pineal region tumors should depend on the patient population concerned, because of the differences relating to race and age distribution.

PMID: 1394280 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1639937&dopt=Abstract

J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1992 Aug;75(2):367-9.

Development of melatonin production in infants and the impact of prematurity.

Kennaway DJ, Stamp GE, Goble FC.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, South Australia.

The development of rhythmic 6-sulfatoxymelatonin excretion in urine was studied in healthy full-term and premature infants during the first 12 months of life. There was little evidence of rhythmic 6-sulfatoxymelatonin excretion before 9 to 12 weeks of age in full-term infants. Over this period, excretion increased five to six times compared to the excretion at 6 weeks (08 +/- 103 vs. 2973 +/- 438 pmol/24 h) with the major proportion of the hormone metabolite being excreted between 0200-1000 h. At 24 weeks of age, total 6-sulfatoxymelatonin excretion was 25% of adult levels. Premature infants (51 +/- 4 days premature) had a delay in the appearance of rhythmic 6-sulfatoxymelatonin of approximately 9 weeks. Even after correcting for gestational age or length of time at home, the premature infants were found to have a 2-3 week delay in the development of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin rhythmicity compared to full-term infants. These results provide evidence that neural centers responsible for rhythm generation and/or the pineal gland fail to accelerate their development after premature delivery. This may be due to the environment the infants are exposed to during their stay in hospital, particularly the pattern and intensity of lighting.

PMID: 1639937 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1423740&dopt=Abstract

Chronobiol Int. 1992 Aug;9(4):314-21.

Some perturbations that disturb the circadian melatonin rhythm.

Reiter RJ, Richardson BA.

Department of Cellular and Structural Biology, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284-7762.

The circadian melatonin rhythm is highly reproducible and generally not easily altered. The few perturbations that are capable of significantly changing either the amplitude or the pattern of the 24-h melatonin rhythm are summarized herein. Aging alters cyclic melatonin production by decreasing the amplitude of the nocturnal melatonin peak in all species in which it has been studied. The best known acute suppressor of nocturnal melatonin is light exposure. The brightness of light required to acutely depress pineal melatonin production is species dependent; of the visible wavelengths, those in the blue range (approximately 500-520 nm) seem most effective in suppressing melatonin production. Nonvisible, nonionizing radiation in the extremely low frequency range (e.g., 60 Hz) seems also capable of altering pineal melatonin synthesis. Hormones have relatively little influence on the circadian production of melatonin, although either adrenalectomy or hypophysectomy does attenuate the amplitude of the melatonin cycle. Exercise at the time of high melatonin production rapidly depresses pineal concentrations of the indole without influencing its synthesis; the mechanism of this suppression remains unknown.

Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial

PMID: 1423740 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1406840&dopt=Abstract

N Engl J Med 1992 Nov 5;327(19):1377-9
No Abstract available

Melatonin--the hormone of darkness.

Utiger RD.

Publication Types: Comment Editorial

PMID: 1406840 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]