Human Pineal Gland Involutionary Process: New Findings

In this work, we report preliminary results about the involution of the human pineal gland involution. The detailed analysis of pineal structure was done on autopsy material of 77 persons in age 27–96 using x-ray phase-contrast tomography, histology, and immunohistochemistry. Our study suggests that the pineal gland alteration in older adults may be more profound than has been reported to date. We identified and described a new form of pineal gland involution that eventually led to the total degradation of the pineal gland. To our knowledge, this study is the first to report on the complete replacement of pineal gland parenchyma with connective tissue in older adults.