Rozencwaig R, Grad B R, Ochoa J
Med Hypotheses. 1987 Aug;23(4):337-52. doi: 10.1016/0306-9877(87)90054-5.
The hypothesis presented in this paper defines aging as a pathological process originating in the pineal gland. This results in a diminished output of melatonin, along with a diminished melatonin to serotonin ratio, leading to a decline in adaptive processes and a predictable syndrome manifested by the "diseases of the aged" (DOA) and subsequent death of the organism. That is, aging is a syndrome of relative melatonin deficiency resulting from the gradual failure of the pineal gland.
本文提出的假说将衰老定义为起源于松果体的病理过程。这导致褪黑素分泌减少，以及褪黑素与血清素的比例降低，进而导致适应性过程衰退，并出现以“老年疾病”（DOA）为特征的可预测综合征，最终导致机体死亡。也就是说，衰老是由于松果体逐渐功能衰竭而导致的相对褪黑素缺乏综合征。
