Summary
The possible influence of central nervous structures on the electrical activity of single pineal cells was investigated in rat and guinea-pig.
In the rat electrical stimulation of the hippocampal formation elicited both single cell responses with different latencies and mostly long-term excitations in single pineal cells, while stimulation of the habenular nuclei caused clear orthodromical responses with different latencies, alterations in the rate of spontaneous electrical activity and evoked discharges of “silent” units.
In the guinea-pig electrical stimulation of the paraventricular nucleus influenced predominantly cells in the deeper layers of the posterior part of the pineal gland. Electrical stimulation of both the superior and inferior colliculi elicited field potentials with a constant latency, indicating a functional relationship between the corpora quadrigemina and the pineal organ.
Intrapineal stimulation and recording in the guinea-pig indicate functional connections between anterior and posterior parts of the pineal organ and that information can be conducted in both directions of the pineal axis.
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The data from the rat pineal gland are part of a thesis presented by St. Reuss in partial fulfillment for the degree of Dr. rer. nat. Preliminary data have been presented at the NATO Symposion “The pineal gland and its endocrine role”, Sicily 1982 (cf. Semm, 1983) and at the 6th European Neuroscience Congress, Malaga 1982 (cf. Reuss andSemm, 1982). — Financial support of the Stiftung Volkswagenwerk is gratefully acknowledged.
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Reuss, S., Semm, P. & Vollrath, L. Electrophysiological investigations on the central innervation of the rat and guinea-pig pineal gland. J. Neural Transmission 60, 31–43 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01254763
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01254763