The Pineal Gland in Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease of unknown etiology. Clinical, neurochemical, and neuroradiological data implicate the pineal gland in the pathophysiology of MS. To investigate the relationship of MS to the pineal gland further, we surveyed the prevalence of pineal calcification (PC) on CT scan in a cohort of 29 MS patients (7 men, 22 women, mean age: 40.1 years, SD = 8.9) who were admitted consecutively to a neurological service for acute exacerbation of symptoms. For the purpose of comparison, we also surveyed the prevalence of choroid plexus calcification (CPC) in the sample. Twenty-one age and sex-matched neurological patients served as controls (5 men, 16 women, mean age: 37.0, SD = 9.2). PC was seen in 100% of MS patients, while 72.4% patients (N = 21) had CPC. In the control sample, PC was found in 42.8% (N = 9) and CPC in 28.5% (N = 6). Thus, the strikingly high prevalence of PC in MS provides indirect support for an association between MS and abnormalities of the pineal gland. Moreover, since pineal melatonin is involved in neuroimmunomodulation, we propose, for the first time, that abnormalities of pineal melatonin functions are implicated in the pathophysiology of the disease.