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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 (also known as the pineal body [1] or epiphysis cerebri) is a small endocrine gland in the brain of most vertebrates. It produces melatonin , a serotonin -derived hormone , which modulates sleep patterns following the diurnal cycles . [ 2 ]
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]
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".
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]
The epithalamus is a tiny structure that comprises the habenular trigone, the pineal gland, and the habenular commissure. It is wired with the limbic system and basal ganglia . Species that possess a photoreceptive parapineal organ show asymmetry in the epithalamus at the habenula, to the left (dorsal).
The pineal gland is attached to the brain in this region. [7] The medial habenula (MHb) receives connections from posterior septum pellucidum and diagonal band of Broca; the lateral habenula receives afferents from the lateral hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens, internal globus pallidus, ventral pallidum, and diagonal band of Broca. [8]
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.