High Accumulation of Calcium and Phosphorus in the Pineal Bodies with Aging

Abstract

To elucidate compositional changes of the pineal body with aging, the authors investigated age-related changes of elements in the pineal body. After the ordinary dissection by medical students was finished, the pineal bodies and seven arteries were resected from the subjects ranging in age from 58 to 94 years. The element contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. It was found that a high accumulation of Ca and P occurred in the pineal bodies with aging. Regarding the relationships among the elements, it was found that there were significant direct correlations among the contents of Ca, P, and Mg. With regard to the relationships between the pineal body and the arteries, no significant correlations were found in the Ca content between the pineal body and the arteries, such as the thoracic and abdominal aortas and the coronary, common carotid, pulmonary, splenic, and common iliac arteries.

Calcium Increase in the Mammillary Bodies with Aging

“…In all of the anterior commissure and corpus callosum [2] of white matter and the olfactory bulb and tract [3], pineal body [1], and mammillary body of gray matter, a significant correlation was found between Ca and Mg contents. In addition, significant correlations were found between Ca and P contents, between P and Mg contents, and between Ca and Na contents in most but not all of them.…”

“…The authors previously investigated age-related changes of elements in the pineal body [1], corpus callosum [2], olfactory bulb and tract [3], and anterior commissure of human brain. It was found that a high accumulation of Ca and P occurred in the pineal body at old age.…”

“…With t test between the mammillary bodies of men and women, p values were Table 4 shows elements with significant correlation in the mammillary body, anterior commissure, pineal body [1], corpus callosum [2], and olfactory bulb and tract [3]. It should be noted that a significant correlation was found between Ca and Mg contents in all of the mammillary body, anterior commissure, pineal body, corpus callosum, and olfactory bulb and tract.…”

“…To elucidate compositional changes of the brain with aging, the authors investigated agerelated changes of elements in the corpus callosum [1] and anterior commissure (submitted) of white matter and the pineal body [2] and olfactory bulb and tract [3] of gray matter. There are several reports [4][5][6][7][8][9] on age-related changes of the mammillary body.…”

Age-Related Changes of Elements in the Anterior Commissures and the Relationships Among their Elements

“…In addition, significant direct correlations were found between Ca and either S or Fe contents, between Mg and either P or Fe contents, and between S and either Fe or Na contents. Table 4 shows elements with significant correlation in the anterior commissure, pineal body [24], corpus callosum [25], and olfactory bulb and tract [26]. It should be noted that Relationships between S and Fe contents (a) and between S and Na contents (b) in the anterior commissures significant correlations were found between Ca and Mg contents and between P and Mg contents in all of the anterior commissure, pineal body, corpus callosum, and olfactory bulb and tract.…”