Melatonin

which associated organ(s) create and secrete this hormone? Melatonin is created and secreted in the pineal gland. The pineal gland is an organ about the size of a pea and the shape of a cone, and serves as the last organ in the visual system. The pineal gland, an endocrine gland, is found in the center of the brain, the epithalamus, and is located behind the third cerebral ventricle (Emerson, 2015). The pineal gland and the melatonin it produces plays a large role in humans ' well-being. This gland

REGULATION OF MELATONIN PRODUCTION Light acts on photoreceptor cells of the pineal organ and retina, which allows synchronization of their internal molecular clocks. Light might also impact on other possible photosensitive and circadian structures in the ventral diencephalon (POA and hypothalamic area) and peripheral organs. In response to the photoperiodic information, the retina and the pineal organ elaborate two types of rhythmic information. The neural information (blue arrows) from the retina

Molecular Mechanisms of Light Supressing Melatonin Synthesis Artificial light has many serious affects on the human body. Artificial light at night (ALAN) in excessive use can cause serious molecular disruptions in the human body. Namely, ALAN supresses melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) production in the body causing serious sleep disorders (Schomerus and Korf 2005). This is because melatonin is a huge regulator of the circadian rhythms in the body. Therefore, an imbalance will cause serious

get an understanding for the chemicals as well as how the brain works to interpret and react to signals set out by these chemicals, rhythmically and physiologically. Several chemicals observed include: cocaine (and other chemicals), seratonin, and melatonin.   Nature and life are full of rhythms. Rhythms in nature include: day and night, seasons, tides, and lunar and solar cycles. Humans are driven by rhythms like:

Artificial illumination consists one of the most useful and integral parts of the human civilisation as it allows all human activities to expand during the night or to take 30 place in areas where the lighting is inadequate. Its misuse though, causes a phenomenon known as photopollution/ light pollution/ luminous pollution. This phenomenon is caused because artificial light is being reflected from the various components of the atmosphere. The International Dark-Sky Association define light pollution

fact it is the hormone, melatonin which is released by the pineal gland that is responsible for controlling the sleep cycle (Society for Endocrinology, 2015). Melatonin production increases as it becomes dark and is supressed to a degree by light. Melatonin causes drowsiness by lowering the core body temperature. It has been found that the hormone is also released when one is stressed which can occur while in flight. The body reacts to the untimely release of melatonin and disrupts the circadian

the pineal gland is a small, pine cone-shaped part of the brain, known as the “third eye”, that is the seat which connects the real, physical world with the spiritual world. The author describes the pineal gland as “a tiny pinecone” that produces melatonin, a derivative of the neurotransmitter serotonin which modulates hormones and the circadian rhythm. The true power of this gland has been kept secret by various world governments since the time of the Soviet Union. The pineal gland is the pathway

studies conducted that show that targeting melatonin receptors may be a novel way of reducing the threshold of seizure propensity. Currently, progabide is an established drug that is used to control epileptic seizures. However, there are no studies conducted that combine both melatonin agonists and GABA agonists together to treat epileptic seizures. Our results showed that there was a decrease in seizure propensity when treating the mice with melatonin and GABA agonists, however, there was an even

what molecules are being affected. Regulation of the Human Circiadian Clock by Melatonin Humans often sleep at night and perform waking activities during the day. This molecular

night sleep’. This is because of the hormone melatonin secreted by the pineal gland of animals located near the brain, which regulates the release of many other hormones and also, the circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm is the periodic sleep-wake cycle in animals, or in layman’s language, it is the body clock that decides when we sleep and when we wake up. This hormone is secreted only when there is absence of any source of light. More the melatonin gets secreted into our bloodstream, deeper the