Arginine-vasotocin (AVT)--a pineal hormone in mammals.

Covering more than 30 years of studying the pineal peptide hormones physiology, this study largely discusses the main personal research as well as international literature indirectly or directly supporting the idea that the nonapeptide hormone arginine-vasotocin (AVT) is a pineal hormone in mammals. After a short review of the problem, the data are structured in two chapters: one including all the indirect arguments, i.e. those results demonstrating that the ly synthetic exogenous AVT mimics all the effects attributed to the pineal gland itself or to its releasing hormone the indole melatonin, or are contrary to those reported after pinealectomy, and a second chapter that includes all the data directly demonstrating that AVT is contained, synthetized and released from the pineal gland of mammals. Special emphasis was placed on the personal results regarding the AVT effects, the mechanisms of action, the release and interference with some of the basic functions of the brain such as sleep, behaviour, attention or maturation.