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Structure and innervation of the pineal gland of the rabbit, oryctolagus cuniculus (L.)

II. An electron microscopic investigation of the pinealocytes

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Summary

In the rabbit pineal gland a cortex and a medulla can be distinguished, based on the distribution pattern of two cell types. The medulla consists of so-called light and dark pinealocytes, whereas in the cortex only light ones occur. The cytological distinction between the two cell types is principally due to the exclusive presence of abundant pigment granules in the dark pinealocytes. The light pinealocytes have long offshoots. Their club-shaped terminals are crowded with smooth endoplasmic reticulum from which grey vesicles are pinched off. In the medulla, these offshoots run for the most part into the direction of blood vessels to terminate in close topographical relationship with dark pinealocytes which are mainly arranged around these vessels. The ultrastructure of both the light and the dark pinealocytes is described.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electron Microscopy, Netherlands Central Institute for Brain Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    H. J. Romijn

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  1. H. J. Romijn
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Acknowledgements. The author wishes to thank Professor Dr. J. Ariëns Kappers for his advice and criticism throughout the work, Mr. H. K. Koerten for his technical assistance and Miss A. M. Feddema for typing the manuscript.

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Romijn, H.J. Structure and innervation of the pineal gland of the rabbit, oryctolagus cuniculus (L.). Z.Zellforsch 141, 545–560 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00307124

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00307124

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