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Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Functional Interrogation of Adult Hypothalamic Neurogenesis with Focal Radiological Inhibition
Published on: November 14, 2013
Morphofunctional changes in the pineal gland during dynamic adaptation to hypothermia
L A Bondarenko1, G I Gubina-Vakulik
1Chronoendocrinology Laboratory, V. Ya. Danilevskii Institute of Problems of Endocrine Pathology, Ukrainian Academy of Medical Sciences, 10 Artem Street, 61002 Khar'kov-2, Ukraine.
Abstract:
The effects of stress induced by hypothermia (+4 degrees C for 3 h) on the pathways of serotonin metabolism in the pineal gland and on its structure were studied in adult male Wistar rats. These experiments showed that the melatonin-forming function of the epiphysis undergoes phasic changes during adaptation: there was a significant increase during the first 15 min, which was followed by gradual inhibition (to initial by 30 min) and then sharp suppression (at 3 h). Suppression of the functional activity of the pineal gland occurred because of exclusion of a proportion of pinealocytes from the process of active functioning.
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