Morphology of pineal glands in human foetuses and infants with brain lesions.

The pineal gland is an organ involved in regulation of homeostasis and body rhythms. It plays an important role in the growth foetuses and adaptation of newborns to new environmental conditions. The requirements of foetuses and newborns progressively change during development. The purpose of the study was to evaluate morphological changes of pineal glands in foetuses and infants with brain lesions. The results of our study showed that parenchyma of developing pineal glands was susceptible to injury in most autopsied foetal and infantile cases. Morphological changes in pineal glands were found in 90% of autopsied brains but 100% of the cases had infections. The lesions in the pineal included mainly haemorrhagic, necrotic and cystic changes. In our autopsied foetuses and children, morphological changes in pineal glands were concomitant with various lesions of brain parenchyma. All results of our study lead to the conclusion that the pineal gland during its development is very susceptible to injury. The failure of normal pineal gland development and subsequent impaired production of melatonin decrease resistance of newborns and children to various environmental harmful agents.