24.12.2016 | Editorial
Melatonin: the sleeping hormone
Erschienen in: International Journal of Diabetes in Developing Countries | Ausgabe 1/2017
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Pineal gland – “epiphysis cerebri” lies in the center of human brain. Phylogenetically, pineal gland became prominent in vertebrates—both aquatic and terrestrial. Pineal gland was thought to control circadian rhythms and play a role as “zeitgeber”—a German word for the natural phenomenon of cyclicity. The signals from the retina are relayed to the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) which is the circadian clock. From the SCN, signals are relayed to the superior cervical ganglion and to the pineal gland. The possibility of other pathways is supported by finding that mice deficient in rods, cones, and melanopsin systems show no light suppression of the pineal melatonin synthesis pathway [1]. …Anzeige