title: Neural control of the pineal gland.
abstract: The rhythm in melatonin production by the mammalian pineal gland is generated by the circadian timing system. The components of that system which mediate the function are: (1) visual projections through the retinohypothalamic tract to the circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus; (2) the SCN which generates a circadian signal transmitted by SCN projections to the parvocellular autonomic component of the paraventricular nucleus; (3) paraventricular nucleus projections to the upper thoracic intermediolateral cell column; (4) preganglionic sympathetic fibers to the superior cervical ganglion; (5) postganglionic sympathetic fibers from the superior cervical ganglion to the pineal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
authors.forename: R Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008550:Melatonin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D010870:Pineal Gland / Q000294:innervation* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008550:Melatonin