Notes on Pineal Gland

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PINEAL GLAND:

Attached to roof of the 3rd ventricle.

Melatonin production:

Melatonin secretion is regulated by sunlight and stimulation of the activity of the suprachiasmatic nucleus in the hypothalamus. Melatonin regulates day/night cycle. It also may regulate onset of puberty. Also contains neuroactive peptides. (TRH, LHRH) and somatostatin. Associated with mechanisms that regulate circadian rhythm. Body rhythms and onset of puberty. There is an association between light, the pineal gland and depression.

Clinical Application:

Often the pineal becomes calcified. Useful in radiology to determine shift of the midline by a space-occupying lesion. Mainly replaced today by the use of CT-scans of the brain. Phototherapy, which acts like sunlight to inhibit melatonin secretion, is effective in the treatment of "winter depression."

Further Topics on Subcortical Grey Matter:

1. Notes on Thalamus
2. Notes on Pineal Gland
3. Notes on Hypothalamus
4. Notes on Limbic System
5. Notes on Pituitary Gland
6. Notes on Basal Nuclei
7. Amygdaloid Body and Temporal Lobe

Additional Reading:

Basic Neurology

1. Peripheral Nervous System
2. Central Nervous System
3. The Ventricular System
4. The Spinal Cord
5. The Brain Stem
6. The Cerebellum
7. Visual Pathways
8. Diencephalon
9. Basal Ganglia
10. Cerebral Cortex
11. Sleep Disorders
12. Autonomic Nervous System
13. Cranial Nerves and Parasympathetic Ganglia
14. Cells of the Nervous System
15. Cerebrospinal fluid
16. Additional short notes on Cerebrum
17. Functions and Diseases of Cerebrum
18. Subcortical Grey Matter
19. Notes on The Spinal Cord
20. Regulation of Heart Rate by Autonomic Nervous System
21. Action Potentials, Axon Conduction, and Neuromuscular Junction
22. Types of Seizures

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1. Nervous System Disorders
2. Histology of Nervous Tissue
3. Cranial Nerve Reflexes
4. Motor System Examination

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