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Corpora arenacea (singular: corpus arenaceum, [1] also called brain sand or acervuli [2] [3] or psammoma bodies [4] or pineal concretions [4]) are calcified structures in the pineal gland and other areas of the brain such as the choroid plexus. Older organisms have numerous corpora arenacea, whose function, if any, is unknown.
The pineal gland is present in almost all vertebrates, but is absent in protochordates in which there is a simple pineal homologue. The hagfish , archaic vertebrates, lack a pineal gland. [ 7 ] In some species of amphibians and reptiles, the gland is linked to a light-sensing organ, variously called the parietal eye , the pineal eye or the ...
Calcification is the accumulation of calcium salts in a body tissue. It normally occurs in the formation of bone, but calcium can be deposited abnormally in soft tissue, [1] [2] causing it to harden. Calcifications may be classified on whether there is mineral balance or not, and the location of the calcification. [3]
A pineal gland cyst is a usually benign (non-malignant) cyst in the pineal gland, a small endocrine gland in the brain. Historically, these fluid-filled bodies appeared on 1-4% of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans, but were more frequently diagnosed at death, seen in 4-11% of autopsies. [ 1 ]
Pineocytoma, is a rare, benign, slowly growing tumor of the pineal gland. The pineal gland is a small endocrine gland close to the center of the brain that secretes melatonin into the bloodstream. Pineocytomas can cause pressure and fluid build-up in the brain. They are more common in adults.
Hydroxyapatite crystals are also found in pathological calcifications such as those found in breast tumors, [8] as well as calcifications within the pineal gland (and other structures of the brain) known as corpora arenacea or "brain sand". [9]
The pineal gland is a small organ in the center of the brain that is responsible for controlling melatonin secretion. [2] Several tumors can occur in the area of the pineal gland, with the most aggressive being pineoblastoma. Pineoblastomas arise from embryonal cells in the pineal gland and are rapidly growing.
The pineal gland starts to develop during the second month of gestation. In the average adult, the dimensions are as follow: 5-9mm in length, 1-5mm in width and 3-5mm in thickness. Its average weight is 100–180 mg. [40] The pineal gland consists of a central core made up of small lobes and a cortex that possesses a diffuse distribution of ...