title: Morphology of the pineal gland in pregnant and nursing sows.
abstract: The pineal glands of pregnant and nursing sows were studied by light and electron microscopy. Similar structural changes in the pineal gland during pregnancy and lactation were noted as follows: a proliferation of glial cells concurrent with a decrease in the number of pinealocytes, a relative increase in the number of pinealocytes with cytoplasmic accumulation of dense bodies, and an increase in number of presumptive microglia. It appears that pregnancy and lactation exert a complex influence on pineal function, with a predominantly stimulating effect.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*