The potential evolutionary significance of the pineal gland

Paul S. Agutter; R. Shane Tubbs; Marios Loukas; Mehdi Farhoudi; Alireza Ghaffari; Martin M. Mortazavi; Kamyar Ghabili; Mohammadali Mohajel Shoja

The potential evolutionary significance of the pineal gland

Paul S. Agutter, R. Shane Tubbs, Marios Loukas, Mehdi Farhoudi, Alireza Ghaffari, Martin M. Mortazavi, Kamyar Ghabili, Mohammadali Mohajel Shoja

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

Although during the early 20th century the pineal gland was considered to have littlefunctional significance, the activity of its secretory product, melatonin, has beenincreasingly appreciated during recent decades. Melatonin has a role in the sleep-wakecycle and recent studies have shown that it acutely enhances mating behaviour and libido.Since reproductive activity is obviously of primary importance for the survival of species, this could plausibly suggest a circadian control of mating behaviour. In this chapter, weargue that the coupling of mating behaviour to light-dark shifts by melatonin might haveinfluenced the survival of species, and this could throw fresh light on the evolutionarysignificance of the pineal gland.

Original language	English (US)
Title of host publication	Hypotheses in Clinical Medicine
Publisher	Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Pages	217-226
Number of pages	10
ISBN (Print)	9781622572762
State	Published - Dec 1 2013
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Medicine(all)

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The potential evolutionary significance of the pineal gland. / Agutter, Paul S.; Tubbs, R. Shane; Loukas, Marios; Farhoudi, Mehdi; Ghaffari, Alireza; Mortazavi, Martin M.; Ghabili, Kamyar; Mohajel Shoja, Mohammadali.

Hypotheses in Clinical Medicine. Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2013. p. 217-226.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

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