The
pineal gland (also called the
pineal body,
epiphysis cerebri,
epiphysis or the "
third eyeA parietal eye, also known as a parietal organ or third-eye, is a part of the epithalamus present in some animal species. The eye may be photoreceptive and is usually associated with the pineal gland, regulating circadian rhythmicity and hormone production for thermoregulation.-Function:The...
") is a small
endocrineThe endocrine system is a system of glands that involve the release of extracellular signaling molecules known as hormones.The endocrine system is instrumental in regulating metabolism, growth, development, puberty, tissue function, internal environment and also plays a part in determining...
gland in the vertebrate
brainThe brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate, and most invertebrate, animals. Some primitive animals such as jellyfish and starfish have a decentralized nervous system without a brain, while sponges lack any nervous system at all...
. It produces
melatoninMelatonin , also known chemically as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a naturally occurring hormone found in animals and in some other living organisms, including algae. Circulating levels vary in a daily cycle, and melatonin is important in the regulation of the circadian rhythms of several...
, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and photoperiodic (seasonal) functions. It is shaped like a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and is located near to the center of the brain, between the two
hemispheresA cerebral hemisphere is defined as one of the two regions of the brain that are delineated by the body's median plane, . The brain can thus be described as being divided into left and right cerebral hemispheres...
, tucked in a groove where the two rounded
thalamic bodiesThe thalamus is a midline paired symmetrical structure within the brain of vertebrate animals, including humans. It is between the cerebral cortex and the midbrain, both in terms of its location and its neurological connections...
join.
Location
The pineal gland is reddish-gray and about the size of a
peaA pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the legume Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Although it is botanically a fruit, it is treated as a vegetable in cooking...
(8 mm in humans), located just rostro-dorsal to the
superior colliculusThe optic tectum or simply tectum is a paired structure that forms a major component of the vertebrate midbrain. In mammals this structure is more commonly called the superior colliculus , but even in mammals, the adjective tectal is commonly used. The tectum is a layered structure, with a number...
and behind and beneath the
stria medullarisThe stria medullaris, also known as stria medullaris thalami, is a fiber bundle containing efferent fibers from the septal nuclei, lateral preoptico-hypothalamic region, and anterior thalamic nuclei to the habenula. It forms a horizontal ridge on the medial surface of the thalamus.-References:1....
, between the laterally positioned thalamic bodies. It is part of the
epithalamusThe epithalamus is a dorsal posterior segment of the diencephalon which includes the habenula, the stria medullaris and the pineal body...
.
The pineal gland is a midline structure, and is often seen in plain
skullThe skull is a bony structure found in the head of many animals. The skull supports the structures of the face and protects the head against injury....
X-rayX-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 10 to 0.01 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays...
s, as it is often
calcifiedCalcification is the process in which calcium salts build up in soft tissue, causing it to harden. Calcifications may be classified on whether there is mineral balance or not, and the location of the calcification.-Mineral balance:...
.
Structure and composition
The pineal body consists in humans of a lobular
parenchymaParenchyma is a term used to describe a bulk of a substance. It is used in different ways in animals and in plants.The term is New Latin, from Greek parenkhuma, visceral flesh, from parenkhein, to pour in beside : para-, beside + en-, in + khein, to pour.- In animals :The parenchyma are the...
of pinealocytes surrounded by
connective tissueConnective tissue is a form of fibrous tissue.. It is one of the four types of tissue in traditional classifications ....
spaces. The gland's surface is covered by a pial capsule.
The pineal gland consists mainly of pinealocytes, but four other
cellThe cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living, and is often called the building block of life. The Alberts text discusses how the "cellular building blocks" move to shape developing embryos...
types have been identified.
| Cell type |
Description
>-
| pinealocytePinealocytes are the main cells of the pineal gland. They produce and secrete melatonin. Pinealocytes have an organelle called the synaptic ribbon; this is considered to be a specific marker for pinealocytes...
s |
melatoninMelatonin , also known chemically as N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, is a naturally occurring hormone found in animals and in some other living organisms, including algae. Circulating levels vary in a daily cycle, and melatonin is important in the regulation of the circadian rhythms of several...
. The pinealocytes can be stained by special silver impregnation methods.
>-
| interstitial cellInterstitial cells may refer to:* Leydig cells, cells present in the male testes* A portion of the stroma of ovary* Certain cells in the pineal gland* responsible for the production of androgen - See also :...
s |
|
>-
| perivascular phagocytePhagocytes are the white blood cells that protect the body by ingesting harmful foreign particles, bacteria, and dead or dying cells. Their name comes from the Greek phagein, "to eat" or "devour", and "-cyte", the suffix in biology denoting "cell", from the Greek kutos, "hollow vessel". They are...
|
>-
| pineal neuronA neuron is an excitable cell in the nervous system that processes and transmits information by electrochemical signaling. Neurons are the core components of the brain, the vertebrate spinal cord, the invertebrate ventral nerve cord, and the peripheral nerves...
s
|
>-
| peptidePeptides are short polymers formed from the linking, in a defined order, of α-amino acids. The link between one amino acid residue and the next is called an amide bond or a peptide bond....
rgic neuron-like cells
In some species, neuronal-like peptidergic cells are present. These cells might have a paracrine regulatory function. |
The pineal gland receives a
sympatheticThe word sympathetic means different things in different contexts.* In neurology and neuroscience, the sympathetic nervous system is a part of the autonomic nervous system....
innervation from the
superior cervical ganglionThe superior cervical ganglion , the largest of the cervical ganglia, is placed opposite the second and third cervical vertebræ. It contains neurons that supply sympathetic innervation to the face....
. However, a parasympathetic innervation from the
sphenopalatineSphenopalatine can refer to:* sphenopalatine artery* sphenopalatine ganglion * sphenopalatine nerves* sphenopalatine foramen...
and
otic gangliaThe otic ganglion is a small, ovalshaped, flattened parasympathetic ganglion of a reddish-gray color, located immediately below the foramen ovale in the infratemporal fossa.It is one of four parasympathetic ganglia of the head and neck...
is also present. Further, some nerve fibers penetrate into the pineal gland via the pineal stalk (central innervation). Finally, neurons in the
trigeminal ganglionThe trigeminal ganglion is a sensory ganglion of the trigeminal nerve that occupies a cavity in the dura mater, covering the trigeminal impression near the apex of the petrous part of the temporal bone.-Relations:It is somewhat crescentic in shape, with its convexity...
innervates the gland with nerve fibers containing the
neuropeptideNeuropeptides are small protein-like molecules used by neurons to communicate with each other. They are neuronal signaling molecules, influence the activity of the brain in specific ways and are thus involved in particular brain functions, like analgesia, reward, food intake, learning and...
, PACAP.
Human follicles contain a variable quantity of gritty material, called
corpora arenaceaCorpora arenacea are calcified structures in the pineal gland and other areas of the brain such as the choroid plexus. Older organisms have numerous corpora arenacea, whose function, if any, is unknown. Concentrations of "brain sand" increase with age, so the pineal gland becomes increasingly...
(or "acervuli", or "brain sand"). Chemical analysis shows that they are composed of
calcium phosphateCalcium phosphate is the name given to a family of minerals containing calcium ions together with orthophosphates , metaphosphates or pyrophosphates and occasionally hydrogen or hydroxide ions.It is the principal form of calcium found in bovine milk...
,
calcium carbonateCalcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula CaCO
3. It is a common substance found in rock in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural...
,
magnesium phosphateMagnesium phosphate is a general term for salts of magnesium and phosphate appearing in three forms:* Magnesium phosphate monobasic * Magnesium phosphate dibasic...
, and
ammonium phosphateAmmonium phosphate is the salt of ammonia and phosphoric acid. It has the molecular formula 3PO4 and consists of ammonium cations and phosphate anion...
. In 2002, deposits of the
calciteCalcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate . The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 470°C, and vaterite is even less stable....
form of calcium carbonate were described. Calcium, phosphorus and
fluorideFluoride is the anion F
−, the reduced form of fluorine. Both organic and inorganic compounds containing the element fluorine are sometimes called fluorides. Fluoride, like other halides, is a monovalent ion . Its compounds often have properties that are distinct relative to other...
deposits in the pineal gland have been linked with aging.
Miscellaneous anatomy
PinealocytePinealocytes are the main cells of the pineal gland. They produce and secrete melatonin. Pinealocytes have an organelle called the synaptic ribbon; this is considered to be a specific marker for pinealocytes...
s in many non-mammalian
vertebrateVertebrates are members of the subphylum Vertebrata, chordates with backbones or spinal columns. About 58,000 species of vertebrates have been described. Vertebrata is the largest subphylum of chordates, and contains many familiar groups of large land animals. Vertebrates comprise cyclostomes, bony...
s have a strong resemblance to the
photoreceptorA photoreceptor, or photoreceptor cell, is a specialized type of neuron found in the eye's retina that is capable of phototransduction. The great biological importance of photoreceptors is that as cells they convert light into the beginning of a chain of biological processes...
cells of the
eyeEyes are organs that detect light, and send electrical impulses along the optic nerve to the visual and other areas of the brain. Complex optical systems with resolving power have come in ten fundamentally different forms, and 96% of animal species possess a complex optical system...
. Some evolutionary biologists believe that the vertebrate pineal cells share a common
evolutionIn biology, evolution is change in the genetic material of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. Though changes produced in any one generation are normally small, differences accumulate with each generation and can, over time, cause substantial changes in the population, a...
ary ancestor with retinal cells.
In some vertebrates, exposure of the pineal to light can directly set off a chain reaction of enzymatic events which regulate
circadian rhythmA circadian rhythm is a roughly-24-hour cycle in the biochemical, physiological or behavioral processes of living entities, including plants, animals, fungi and cyanobacteria...
s. Some early vertebrate fossil skulls have a pineal
foramen-Other:* the apical foramen is the hole at the tip of the root of a tooth.* the foramen ovale is a hole between the venous and arterial sides of the fetal heart....
(opening). This correlates with the physiology of the modern "
living fossilLiving fossil is an informal term for any living species of organism which appears to be the same as a species otherwise only known from fossils and which has no close living relatives. These species have all survived major extinction events, and generally retain low taxonomic diversities...
s", the
lampreyA lamprey is a parasitic marine animal with a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated directly, their name means stone lickers . While lampreys are well known for those species which bore into the flesh of other fish to suck their blood, these species make up the minority...
and the
tuataraThe tuatara is a reptile endemic to New Zealand which, though it resembles most lizards, is actually part of a distinct lineage, order Sphenodontia. The two species of tuatara are the only surviving members of its order, which flourished around 200 million years ago. Their most recent common...
, and some other vertebrates which have a
parietal organA parietal eye, also known as a parietal organ or third-eye, is a part of the epithalamus present in some animal species. The eye may be photoreceptive and is usually associated with the pineal gland, regulating circadian rhythmicity and hormone production for thermoregulation.-Function:The...
or "third eye" which, in some of them, is photosensitive. The third eye represents evolution’s earlier approach to photoreception. The structures of the third eye in the tuatara are homologous to the cornea, lens and retina, though the latter resembles that of an octopus rather than a vertebrate retina. The asymmetrical whole consists of the "eye" to the left and the pineal sac to the right. "In animals that have lost the parietal eye, including mammals, the pineal sac is retained and condensed into the form of the pineal gland."
Unlike much of the rest of the mammalian brain, the pineal gland is not isolated from the body by the
blood-brain barrierThe blood-brain barrier is a separation of circulating blood and cerebrospinal fluid maintained by the choroid plexus in the central nervous system . Endothelial cells restrict the diffusion of microscopic objects The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a separation of circulating blood and...
system; indeed it has profuse blood flow, second only to the kidney.
Fossils seldom preserve soft anatomy. The brain of the Russian Melovatka bird, about 90 million years old, is an exception, and it shows a larger-than-expected parietal eye and pineal gland.
In humans and other mammals, the light signals necessary to set circadian rhythms are sent from the eye through the
retinohypothalamicThe retinohypothalamic tract is a photic input pathway involved in the circadian rhythms of mammals. The origin of the retinohypothalamic tract is the intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells , which contain the photopigment melanopsin...
system to the
suprachiasmatic nucleiThe suprachiasmatic nucleus, or nuclei, , a tiny region on the brain's midline in a shallow impression of the optic chiasm, is responsible for controlling endogenous circadian rhythms...
(SCN) and the pineal.
Function
The pineal gland was originally believed to be a "vestigial remnant" of a larger organ. As early as 1917 it was known that extract of cow pineals lightened frog skin. Dermatology professor
Aaron B. LernerAaron Bunsen Lerner was an American physician, researcher and professor. Born in 1920 in Minneapolis, he received his medical degree and a PhD in chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 1945. After teaching at the universities of Michigan and Oregon, he joined the Yale University School of...
and colleagues at
Yale UniversityYale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Yale has produced many notable alumni, including five...
, in the hope that a substance from the pineal might be useful in treating skin diseases, isolated and named the hormone melatonin in 1958. The substance did not prove to be helpful as intended, but its discovery helped solve several mysteries such as the fact that the removal of the rat's pineal accelerated ovary growth, keeping rats in constant light decreased the weight of their pineals, and that both pinealectomy and constant light affect ovary growth to an equal extent, knowledge that gave a boost to the then new field of
chronobiologyChronobiology is a field of science that examines periodic phenomena in living organisms and their adaptation to solar and lunar related rhythms. These cycles are known as biological rhythms. "Chrono" pertains to time and "biology" pertains to the study, or science, of life...
.
Melatonin is a derivative of the
amino acidAmino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and one of the twenty R-groups. These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry, where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H
2NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent...
tryptophanTryptophan is one of the 20 standard amino acids, as well as an essential amino acid in the human diet. It is encoded in the standard genetic code as the codon UGG...
, which also has other functions in the
central nervous systemThe central nervous system is the part of the nervous system that functions to coordinate the activity of all parts of the bodies of bilaterian animals—that is, all animals more advanced than sponges or jellyfish. In vertebrates, the central nervous system is enclosed in the meninges. It contains...
. The production of melatonin by the pineal gland is stimulated by darkness and inhibited by light. Photosensitive cells in the retina detect light and directly signal the
suprachiasmatic nucleusThe suprachiasmatic nucleus, or nuclei, , a tiny region on the brain's midline in a shallow impression of the optic chiasm, is responsible for controlling endogenous circadian rhythms...
(SCN), entraining its rhythm to the 24-hour cycle in nature. Fibers project from the SCN to the paraventricular nuclei (PVN), which relay the circadian signals to the
spinal cordThe spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the brain. The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system. It is around 45 cm long in men and around 43 cm long in women. The length of the spinal cord is much shorter than...
and out via the sympathetic system to superior cervical ganglia (SCG), and from there into the pineal gland. The function(s) of melatonin in humans is not clear; it is commonly prescribed for the treatment of
circadian rhythm sleep disorderCircadian rhythm sleep disorders are a family of sleep disorders affecting, among other things, the timing of sleep. People with circadian rhythm sleep disorders are unable to sleep and wake at the times required for normal work, school, and social needs. They are generally able to get enough sleep...
s.
The compound
pinolinePinoline is a methoxylated tryptoline that occurs in the pineal gland during the metabolism of melatonin. Its chemical names are 5-methoxytryptoline and 6-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-β-carboline. The biological activity of this molecule is of interest as a potential free radical scavenger ,...
is also produced in the pineal gland; it is one of the
beta-carbolineβ-Carboline is an organic amine that is the prototype of a class of compounds known as β-carbolines.-Pharmacology:...
s.
The human pineal gland grows in size until about 1–2 years of age, remaining stable thereafter, although its weight increases gradually from puberty onwards. The abundant melatonin levels in children are believed to inhibit sexual development, and pineal tumors have been linked with
precocious pubertyPrecocious puberty is an unusually early onset of puberty, the process of sexual maturation triggered by the brain or exogenous chemicals, which usually begins in late childhood and results in reproductive maturity and completion of growth...
. When puberty arrives, melatonin production is reduced.
CalcificationCalcification is the process in which calcium salts build up in soft tissue, causing it to harden. Calcifications may be classified on whether there is mineral balance or not, and the location of the calcification.-Mineral balance:...
of the pineal gland is typical in adults.
In animals, the pineal gland appears to play a major role in sexual development,
hibernationHibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate. Hibernating animals conserve energy, especially during winter when food is short, tapping energy reserves, body fat, at a slow rate...
, metabolism, and seasonal breeding.
Pineal cytostructure seems to have evolutionary similarities to the retinal cells of chordates. Modern
birdBirds are winged, bipedal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay eggs. There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Birds range in size from the Bee Hummingbird to the ...
s and
reptileReptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, generally "cold-blooded" amniotes that generally have skin covered in scales or scutes. They are tetrapods and lay amniote eggs, whose embryos are surrounded by the amnion membrane...
s have been found to express the phototransducing
pigmentA pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
melanopsinMelanopsin is a photopigment found in specialized photosensitive ganglion cells of the retina that are involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms, pupillary light reflex, and other non-visual responses to light. In structure, melanopsin is an opsin, a retinylidene protein variety of...
in the pineal gland. Avian pineal glands are believed to act like the
suprachiasmatic nucleusThe suprachiasmatic nucleus, or nuclei, , a tiny region on the brain's midline in a shallow impression of the optic chiasm, is responsible for controlling endogenous circadian rhythms...
in
mammalMammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by sweat glands, hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain.Mammals are divided into three main...
s.
Studies on rodents suggest that the pineal gland may influence the actions of recreational drugs, such as cocaine, and
antidepressantAn antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia. Drugs including the monoamine oxidase inhibitors , tricyclic antidepressants , tetracyclic antidepressants , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors , and serotonin-norepinephrine...
s, such as fluoxetine (Prozac), and its hormone melatonin can protect against
neurodegenerationNeurodegeneration is the umbrella term for the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, including death of neurons. Many neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s occur as a result of neurodegenerative processes. As research progresses, many...
.
Metaphysics and Philosophy
The secretory activity of the pineal gland has only relatively recently become understood. Historically, its location deep in the brain suggested to philosophers that it possessed particular importance. This combination led to its being a "mystery" gland with myth, superstition and
metaphysicalMetaphysics investigates principles of reality transcending those of any particular science. Cosmology and ontology are traditional branches of metaphysics. It is concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world...
theories surrounding its perceived function. For further metaphysical references, see
third eyeThe third eye is a mystical and esoteric concept referring in part to the ajna chakra in certain Eastern and Western spiritual traditions. It is also spoken of as the gate that leads within to inner realms and spaces of higher consciousness...
.
René DescartesRené Descartes , , also known as Renatus Cartesius , was a French philosopher, mathematician, physicist, and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic...
, who dedicated much time to the study of the pineal gland, called it the "seat of the
soulThe soul, in many religions, spiritual traditions, and philosophies, is the spiritual and eternal part of a living being, commonly held to be separable in existence from the body; distinct from the physical part. It is typically thought to consist of ones consciousness and personality, and can be...
". He believed that it was the point of connection between the intellect and the body.
The notion of a 'pineal-eye' is central to the philosophy of the seminal French writer
Georges BatailleGeorges Bataille was a French writer. Although subsequent philosophers have been significantly influenced by his thought, Bataille tended not to refer to himself as a philosopher.-Life and work:...
, which is analyzed at length by literary scholar Denis Hollier in his study
Against Architecture. In this work Hollier discusses how Bataille uses the concept of a 'pineal-eye' as a reference to a blind-spot in Western rationality, and an organ of excess and delirium. This conceptual device is explicit in his surrealist texts,
The Jesuve and
The Pineal Eye.
The pineal gland is also noted in
Gaston BachelardGaston Bachelard was a French philosopher. His most important work is on poetics and on the philosophy of science. To the latter he introduced the concepts of epistemological obstacle and epistemological break...
's
Poetics of Space.
Helena Blavatsky and
Alice BaileyAlice Ann Bailey , known as Alice A. Bailey or AAB, was born as Alice LaTrobe Bateman, in Manchester, England—at 7:32 AM GMT, according to Dane Rudhyar. She moved to the United States in 1907, where she spent most of her life as a writer and teacher...
, some of the earliest
new ageThe New Age is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that seeks "Universal Truth" and the attainment of the highest individual human potential. It includes aspects of cosmology, astrology, esotericism, alternative medicine, music, collectivism, sustainability, and nature...
, theosophical occultists, have both written on spiritual and occult relationships concerning the pineal gland. This concept of an esoteric pineal-gland is directly addressed in a chapter of
Alice BaileyAlice Ann Bailey , known as Alice A. Bailey or AAB, was born as Alice LaTrobe Bateman, in Manchester, England—at 7:32 AM GMT, according to Dane Rudhyar. She moved to the United States in 1907, where she spent most of her life as a writer and teacher...
's
A Treatise on White MagicA Treatise on White Magic is a book by Alice Bailey. It is considered to be among the most important by students of her writings, as it is less abstract than most, and deals with many important subjects of her works in an introductory, even programmatic fashion. It was first published in 1934 with...
It is thought to be critical to the function of the yogic posture, Khecarī mudrā.
In
DiscordianismDiscordianism is a modern religion centered on the idea that chaos is all that there is, and that disorder and order, the former considered a concept distinct from chaos, are both illusions that are imposed on chaos...
it is maintained that the pineal gland allows one to consult with the goddess
ErisEris is the Greek goddess of strife, her name being translated into Latin as Discordia. Her Greek opposite is Harmonia, whose Latin counterpart is Concordia. Homer equated her with the war-goddess Enyo, whose Roman counterpart is Bellona...
.
Fiction
Henry MillerHenry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
reflects on music and the pineal gland in his semi-autobiographical novel
Tropic of CancerTropic of Cancer is a novel by Henry Miller, first published in 1934 by Obelisk Press in Paris. Its publication in 1961 in the United States by Grove Press led to an obscenity trial that was one of several that tested American laws on pornography in the 1960s...
:
My whole aim in life is to get near to God, that is, to get nearer to myself. That's why it doesn't matter to me what road I take. But music is very important. Music is a tonic for the pineal gland. Music isn't Bach or Beethoven; music is the can opener of the soul. It makes you terribly quiet inside, makes you aware that there's a roof to your being.
In the anime
Elfen Liedis a Japanese manga series created by manga author Lynn Okamoto. A thirteen-episode anime television series adaptation based on the manga was produced by the studio ARMS and broadcast on TV Tokyo from July to October 2004; the anime was later licensed in North America on DVD by ADV Films...
, a diclonius's vectors seem to stem from a highly enhanced pineal gland. A Diclonius can only reproduce by using one of its vectors to modify a human's pineal gland. All offspring of that human will be diclonius.
The story '
From Beyond"From Beyond" is a short story by science fiction and horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was written in 1920 and was first published in The Fantasy Fan in June 1934 "From Beyond" is a short story by science fiction and horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was written in 1920 and was...
' by H.P. Lovecraft deals with a machine that stimulates the pineal gland allowing them to see alternate planes of existence. This story is also carried over into the movie of the same name directed by
Stuart GordonStuart Gordon in Chicago, Illinois) is a director, writer and producer of films and plays. Most of Gordon's film work is in the horror genre, though he has also ventured into science fiction. Like his friend and fellow filmmaker Brian Yuzna, Gordon is a big fan of H. P. Lovecraft and has adapted...
.
External links