Pineal gland

[[File:Illu endocrine system.jpg|thumb|165px|That little thing up there, that dot? That's where your [[soul]] lives.]]
{{biology}}
The '''pineal gland''' is a small pine-cone-shaped chunk of tissue tucked in the middle of the [[brain]]. It is part of the endocrine system and produces [[melatonin]], which is responsible for regulating the [[sleep]]/wake cycle and circadian rhythms of [[animal]]s. Originally thought to be [[vestigial]], the pineal gland's function was discovered in the 1950s in experimentation on cows.<ref>Aaron B. Lerner, James D. Case, and Yoshiyata Takahashi. [http://www.jbc.org/content/235/7/1992.full.pdf Isolation of Melatonin and 5-Methoxyindole-3-acetic Acid from Bovine Pineal Glands.] ''The Journal of Biological Chemistry'', Vol. 235, No. 7, July  1960</ref>

The pineal gland is [[evolution]]arily [[homology|homologous]] to the photoreceptive {{wpl|parietal eye||,}} which occurs in some [[reptiles]], [[amphibians]] and [[fish]],<ref>IR Schwab and GR O’Connor. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1772576/ The lonely eye.] ''British Journal of Ophthalmology'', Vol. 89, No. 3, March 2005 pp. 256</ref> and in that sense (but not the woo sense) is like a third eye.

It's also a *ahem* "[[Terry Pratchett|well known fact]]" that people without pineal glands are unable to get angry.

==Pineal woo==
[[File:Anolis carolinensis parietal eye.JPG|thumb|left|200x|Parietal eye in the yellow rectangle.]]
But what it's ''really'' known for is being the home for the [[ghost in the machine]]. [[René Descartes]] identified it as the place where the "[[mind]]" interacts with the "brain," or "the principle seat of the [[soul]]," in his treatise on [[dualism]].<ref>[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pineal-gland/ Descartes and the Pineal Gland], Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy</ref> It may look cramped but just as an infinite number of [[angels]] can dance on the head of a pin so can many souls kick it in your pineal gland.

This brand of "Cartesian [[woo]]" has spawned various forms of [[pseudoscience]] in modern times. The '''third eye''' is a term vague enough to be [[shoehorning|shoehorned]] into just about any [[New Age]] claptrap. The pineal gland is a favorite of New Agers and dirty [[hippie]]s. In [[Hinduism]], it is the [[chakra]] on the forehead between the eyebrows.<ref>IR Schwab and GR O’Connor. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1772576/ The lonely eye.] ''British Journal of Ophthalmology'', Vol. 89, No. 3, March 2005 pp. 256</ref> Regular consumers of [[psychedelic drug]]s may have an obsession with the pineal gland due to their belief that it produces dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a hallucinogenic drug. This is merely a hypothesis that was proposed by Dr. Rick Strassman.<ref>JASON KORBUS [https://web.archive.org/web/20130728081046/http://forteansquirrel.wordpress.com/2013/01/30/dmt-and-our-brain-what-scientists-say/ DMT and Our Brain: What the Scientists Say]</ref> It has not been proved by empirical evidence, but DMT, along with the precursors for its biosynthesis, have been found in rat pineal glands.<ref>Barker et al. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23881860/ LC/MS/MS analysis of the endogenous dimethyltryptamine hallucinogens, their precursors, and major metabolites in rat pineal gland microdialysate.]</ref> In 2011, the presence of INMT, an enzyme that biosynthesizes DMT, was also confirmed in the pineal glands of primates.<ref>Cozzi et al. [https://web.archive.org/web/20120913184820/http://www.neurophys.wisc.edu/~cozzi/Indolethylamine%20N-methyltransferase%20expression%20in%20primate%20nervous%20tissue.pdf Indolethylamine N-methyltransferase expression in primate nervous tissue]</ref> 

[[Discordianism|Discordians]] claim they can communicate with [[Eris]] via their pineal glands; when that doesn't work, the [[appendix]] works almost as well.{{nofact}}

Other forms of pineal woo include the idea that the pineal gland has become "calcified," through various nefarious agents, most notably [[fluoride]], [[mercury]] from [[vaccines]], even [[chemtrails]].<ref>[http://www.med-health.net/Pineal-Gland-Calcification.html/ Med Health on Pineal gland calcification]</ref><ref>[http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message1744156/pg1/ Sample conspiracy forums discussing pineal calcification]</ref> While calcification of the gland can actually happen,<ref name=rsna>{{cite web|last=Zimmerman|first=Robert A|title=Age-Related Incidence of Pineal Calcification Detected by Computed Tomography|url=http://radiology.rsna.org/content/142/3/659.full.pdf|publisher=Radiological Society of North America|accessdate=21 June 2012}}</ref> and does occur in roughly 50% of the population by age 12<ref>Neuroradiology By Mauricio Castillo, p.161</ref> why it happens isn't clear. It's claimed that clearing away your pineal calcification can do anything from enabling you to [[dream]] better, think more laterally, enable you to see "the [[truth]]" (read: believe in conspiracy theories), to activating [[psychic powers]] such as [[ESP]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111113201658/http://www.mindpowermp3.com/The-Benefits-of-Pineal-Gland-Activation.html Sample of psychic woo]</ref> These beliefs are the basis for the [[Alternative medicine|Alt-Med]] crowd to push [[supplements]] and "[[detox]]ing" diets that supposedly will rid your pineal gland of the calcium that accumulates there.

Some say you can "feel" your third eye if you press your finger between your eyebrows and move it around until you get a "funny" feeling. In reality, you'll just make yourself look like a jackass.

There have also been a few absolute dumbasses who have resorted to [[trepanation]] of their own foreheads to expose their "third eye" or somesuch. '''''Do not try this at home!''''' Or anywhere, for that matter.

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20030405012548/http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/otherendo/pineal.html The Pineal Gland and Melatonin], Pathophysiology of the Endocrine System, Colorado State University

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[category:Anatomy]]
[[Category:New Age]]
[[Category:Woo]]

Categories: Anatomy, New Age, Woo