Diehl B J, Heidbüchel U, Welker H A, Vollrath L
J Neural Transm. 1984;60(1):19-29. doi: 10.1007/BF01254762.
Previous studies aimed at elucidating day/night changes of pineal gland size and pinealocyte nuclear volume have yielded contradictory results. The aim of the present investigation was to examine the above parameters over a period of 10 successive days, at 6-hour intervals under a lighting regimen of LD 12:12 (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.). It was found that changes in pineal gland volume could not be correlated with the light/dark phases; instead, a rhythm with a two-day period was encountered. Pinealocyte nuclear volume, by contrast, showed clear circadian changes, exhibiting troughs during photophase and peaks during scotophase. In this experimental series, the karyometric results conformed to the melatonin forming rhythm in the rat pineal gland as reported in the literature.
以往旨在阐明松果体大小和松果体细胞细胞核体积昼夜变化的研究得出了相互矛盾的结果。本研究的目的是在LD 12:12（上午7点至晚上7点）的光照方案下，每隔6小时连续10天检查上述参数。结果发现，松果体体积的变化与光/暗周期无关；相反，出现了一个为期两天的节律。相比之下，松果体细胞细胞核体积呈现明显的昼夜变化，在光照期出现低谷，在暗期出现高峰。在这个实验系列中，核测量结果与文献报道的大鼠松果体褪黑素形成节律一致。
