The role of melatonin and serotonin in aging.

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.