Pineal volume and circadian melatonin profile in healthy volunteers: An interdisciplinary approach
✍ Scribed by Ingo Nölte; Ann-Theres Lütkhoff; Boris A. Stuck; Björn Lemmer; Michael Schredl; Peter Findeisen; Christoph Groden
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 2009
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 462 KB
- Volume
- 30
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1053-1807
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Abstract
Purpose
To correlate pineal parenchyma volume (PP) to circadian melatonin profiles and to determine the 24‐hour melatonin per volume of pineal tissue (MLPV). Furthermore, we compared melatonin profiles of cystic and solid glands.
Methods
In 15 healthy male subjects (20–27 years) the PP was determined using high‐resolution magnetic resonance imaging (trueFISP, isotropic voxel: 0.8 mm^3^). Melatonin plasma concentrations (MC) were determined every 2 hours for 24 hours.
Results
Mean PP was 125 ± 54 mm^3^. PP correlated linearly to maximum MC and to 24‐hour melatonin (r = 0.61 and r = 0.64, P < 0.05) but not to minimum MC. The 24‐hour melatonin was 653 ± 242.6 pg/mL, MLPV was 5.8 ± 2.3 pg/mL*ml^−1^. Nine pineal glands were solid and six were cystic. PP of solid glands showed higher linear correlations to maximum melatonin, to 24‐hour melatonin, and to the slope of the melatonin increase of the curve (P < 0.05).
Conclusion
PP correlates linearly to melatonin plasma concentrations in humans. MLPV displays similar interindividual differences as 24‐hour melatonin. PP of solid glands show better correlation to melatonin profiles than cystic. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.