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HIBERNATION AND THE PITUITARY BODY
1Surgical Departments of the Harvard Medical School and the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston.
The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|October 30, 2009
Summary
Hypopituitarism, characterized by metabolic and reproductive issues, shares symptoms with hibernation. Pituitary gland changes, including size reduction and altered cell staining, occur during hibernation in woodchucks.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Comparative Physiology
- Histology
Background:
- Hypopituitarism presents with symptoms like metabolic slowdown, fat deposition, hypothermia, and somnolence.
- These symptoms resemble hibernation, previously attributed mainly to external factors like food scarcity and cold.
- The pituitary gland's role in these conditions requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between hypopituitarism and hibernation.
- To examine histological changes in the pituitary gland during hibernation.
Main Methods:
- Observation of clinical and experimental hypopituitarism.
- Histological examination of pituitary glands in hibernating woodchucks.
Main Results:
- Hibernating woodchucks exhibit histological changes in the pituitary gland, including size reduction.
- Pars anterior cells lose staining characteristics during dormancy.
- Pituitary gland size and cell staining properties recover post-hibernation, with evidence of cell division.
Conclusions:
- The pituitary gland undergoes significant, reversible histological changes during hibernation.
- These pituitary changes may contribute to the physiological state of hibernation.
- Hypopituitarism and hibernation share overlapping physiological and glandular characteristics.
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