Morphology and function: MR pineal volume and melatonin level in human saliva are correlated

Liebrich, Luisa-Sophie; Schredl, Michael; Findeisen, Peter; Groden, Christoph; Bumb, Jan Malte; Nölte, I.

doi:10.1002/jmri.24449

Cited by 37 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Rajarethinam et al reported similar pineal volume means from imaging patients with schizophrenia (208 mm 3 , n=45, mean age 30 years) and healthy controls (213 mm 3 , n=86, mean age 27 years); however, they did not describe how they traced the volume (Rajarethinam et al, 1995). In a recent study by Liebrich et al the mean pineal volume was 256 mm 3 among 103 healthy male and female subjects aged 18–23 (Liebrich et al, 2014). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…This finding is consistent with previous studies. Liebrich et al found a positive correlation (r = 0.28) between uncalcified solid pineal volume and saliva melatonin levels collected at four time points within 24-hours in a recent study of 103 healthy individuals (Liebrich et al, 2014). Similarly, Nölte et al found that pineal parenchyma volume correlated linearly to 24-hour melatonin measured every two hours for 24-hours (r = 0.64) among 15 healthy young males and that the correlation was higher for solid rather than cystic glands (Nolte et al, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pineal Gland Volume Assessed by MRI and Its Correlation with 6-Sulfatoxymelatonin Levels among Older Men

et al. 2016

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The pineal gland produces the hormone melatonin and its volume may influence melatonin levels. We describe an innovative method for estimating pineal volume in humans and present the association of pineal parenchyma volume with levels of the primary melatonin metabolite, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin. We selected a random sample of 122 older Icelandic men nested within the AGES-Reykjavik cohort and measured their total pineal volume, parenchyma volume, and the extent of calcification and cysts. For volume estimations we used manual segmentation of MR images in the axial plane with simultaneous side-by-side view of the sagittal and coronal plane. We used multivariable adjusted linear regression models to estimate the association of pineal parenchyma volume and baseline characteristics, including 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels. We used logistic regression to test for differences in first morning urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels among men with or without cystic or calcified glands. The pineal glands varied in volume, shape and composition. Cysts were present in 59% of the glands and calcifications in 21%. The mean total pineal volume measured 207 mm 3 (range 65-536 mm 3 ) and parenchyma volume 178 mm 3 Role of the sponsor: The funding agencies had no role in the design of the study, the collection of the data, or the data analysis. (range 65-503 mm 3 ). In multivariable-adjusted models pineal parenchyma volume was positively correlated with 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels (β=0.52, p<0.001). 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels did not differ significantly by presence of cysts or calcification. By using an innovative method for pineal assessment we found pineal parenchyma volume to be positively correlated with 6-sulfatoxymelatonin levels, in line with other recent studies. HHS Public AccessAuthor manuscript J Biol Rhythms. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2017 October 01.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pineal Gland Volume Assessed by MRI and Its Correlation with 6-Sulfatoxymelatonin Levels among Older Men

et al. 2016

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“…In the present study, insomnia patients were characterized by significantly smaller PGV (Figs and ). Moreover, our results may suggest a correlation between PGV and sleep quality, which is in line with the findings from a very recent study showing a negative correlation trend ( r = –0.17, P = 0.089) between solid pineal parenchyma and the sleep quality disturbance subscore of the Landecker Inventar für Schlafstörungen (LISST) in a homogeneous population without sleep impairments (Liebrich et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Pineal gland volume in primary insomnia and healthy controls: a magnetic resonance imaging study

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et al. 2014

Journal of Sleep Research

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SUMMARYLittle is known about the relation between pineal volume and insomnia. Melatonin promotes sleep processes and, administered as a drug, it is suitable to improve primary and secondary sleep disorders in humans. Recent magnetic resonance imaging studies suggest that human plasma and saliva melatonin levels are partially determined by the pineal gland volume. This study compares the pineal volume in a group of patients with primary insomnia to a group of healthy people without sleep disturbance. Pineal gland volume (PGV) was measured on the basis of high-resolution 3 Tesla MRI (T1-magnetization prepared rapid gradient echo) in 23 patients and 27 controls, matched for age, gender and educational status. Volume measurements were performed conventionally by manual delineation of the pineal borders in multi-planar reconstructed images. Pineal gland volume was significantly smaller (P < 0.001) in patients (48.9 AE 26.6 mm 3 ) than in controls (79 AE 30.2 mm 3 ). In patients PGV correlated negatively with age (r = À0.532; P = 0.026). Adjusting for the effect of age, PGV and rapid eye movement (REM) latency showed a significant positive correlation (r S = 0.711, P < 0.001) in patients. Pineal volume appears to be reduced in patients with primary insomnia compared to healthy controls. Further studies are needed to clarify whether low pineal volume is the basis or the consequence of functional sleep changes to elucidate the molecular pathology for the pineal volume loss in primary insomnia.

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“…In contrast, conventional MRI sequences did not allow for a reliable identification of calcifications and showed a poor diagnostic performance. Because pineal calcification might lead to a decrease in melatonin production by calcified glands [32], the radiation-free detection of pineal calcifications by SWMR may help to identify patients with an increased risk for the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, the assessment of calcifications in the pineal region might also facilitate narrowing differential diagnosis of pineal region tumors, as some of the tumors show unique patterns of calcification.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mahlberg et al suggested, that PGC was significantly higher in patients with Alzheimer’s disease compared to others types of cognitive impairment and that PGC might contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease by reflecting a reduced level of crystallization inhibitors [2, 4]. With regard to the association between plasma melatonin and uncalcified solid pineal tissue, Liebrich et al reported that uncalcified pineal functional volume as derived from MRI was linked to the hormonal function of the pineal gland [32, 39]. On the other hand, there has also been a study suggesting that the levels of melatonin did not significantly differ by presence of cysts or calcification [40].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diagnostic accuracy of susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of pineal gland calcification

et al. 2017

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ObjectivesTo determine the diagnostic performance of susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (SWMR) for the detection of pineal gland calcifications (PGC) compared to conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences, using computed tomography (CT) as a reference standard.Methods384 patients who received a 1.5 Tesla MRI scan including SWMR sequences and a CT scan of the brain between January 2014 and October 2016 were retrospectively evaluated. 346 patients were included in the analysis, of which 214 showed PGC on CT scans. To assess correlation between imaging modalities, the maximum calcification diameter was used. Sensitivity and specificity and intra- and interobserver reliability were calculated for SWMR and conventional MRI sequences.ResultsSWMR reached a sensitivity of 95% (95% CI: 91%-97%) and a specificity of 96% (95% CI: 91%-99%) for the detection of PGC, whereas conventional MRI achieved a sensitivity of 43% (95% CI: 36%-50%) and a specificity of 96% (95% CI: 91%-99%). Detection rates for calcifications in SWMR and conventional MRI differed significantly (95% versus 43%, p<0.001). Diameter measurements between SWMR and CT showed a close correlation (R2 = 0.85, p<0.001) with a slight but not significant overestimation of size (SWMR: 6.5 mm ± 2.5; CT: 5.9 mm ± 2.4, p = 0.02). Interobserver-agreement for diameter measurements was excellent on SWMR (ICC = 0.984, p < 0.0001).ConclusionsCombining SWMR magnitude and phase information enables the accurate detection of PGC and offers a better diagnostic performance than conventional MRI with CT as a reference standard.

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Morphology and function: MR pineal volume and melatonin level in human saliva are correlated

Abstract: Uncalcified solid pineal tissue measured by 3D-T2-TSE and SWI is related to human saliva melatonin levels. The analysis of the sleep quality and pineal volume suggests a linkage between better sleep quality and hormonal active pineal tissue.

Cited by 37 publications

References 35 publications

Pineal Gland Volume Assessed by MRI and Its Correlation with 6-Sulfatoxymelatonin Levels among Older Men

Pineal Gland Volume Assessed by MRI and Its Correlation with 6-Sulfatoxymelatonin Levels among Older Men

Pineal gland volume in primary insomnia and healthy controls: a magnetic resonance imaging study

Diagnostic accuracy of susceptibility-weighted magnetic resonance imaging for the evaluation of pineal gland calcification

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