Dixit, D.P.

et al 17

J Anat. Soc. India 50(1) 17-18 (2001)

Varying Appearances of Calcification in Human Pineal Gland: A

Light Microscopic Study
Koshy, S. and Vettivel S.K.
Department of Anatomy, Christian Medical College, Vellore, INDIA

For Reprints, request the first author.

Abstract. Pineal glands were collected from accident deads during autopsy. The subjects were South Indians. There were no
histological postmortum changes. The glands were processed for light microscopy. Eight micron sections were cut and stained. Capsule,
septa, lobules, and corpora aranacea were observed. The pineal parenchyma had light and dark pinealocytes. Intrapineal and extrapineal
calcified concretions were present. Intrapineal concretions were in the parenchyma, where in younger age groups and among the
pinealocytes, the concretions were of globular pattern but in older age groups and among glial fibres, these were of concentric lamellar
pattern. Extrapineal concretions were adjacent to the capsule and were concentric lamellar only.
Key words : Calcification, concretions, corpora aranacea, glial fibres, parenchyma, pineal gland, pinealocytes.

Introduction :
The pineal gland (epiphysis cerebri) contains
cords and follicles of pinealocytes and neuroglia.
Septa extend into it from the surrounding piamater.
Pinealocytes form the pineal parenchyma.
Neuroglial cells, partially separating the
pinealocytes, are like astrocytes (Williams et al.
1989). Brain sands, corpora aranacea, or acervuli
are calcified concretions in the pineal gland,
presence of which is known since the discovery of
the pineal gland and have been investigated over
400 years in animals and in human. They are visible
in imaging techniques and help as a midline
landmark. There are intrapineal calcifications as well
as extrapineal calcifications. Calcified deposits seen
in the choroid plexus of lateral ventricles, meninges,
and elsewhere in the habenular commissure are
extrapineal calcification; and those within the pineal
parenchyma are intrapineal calcification.
Occasionally these are absent in some specimens.
Only a few studies on the concretions, suggested a
fresh study. Therefore, the morphology of the pineal
calcified concretions were studied.
Materials and Methods :
Forty pineal glands were collected from
accident deads within five to six hours after death
during autopsy. There were no histological
postmortum changes. Age of the subjects ranged
from one to eighty years. The subjects were South
Indians in decade wise age groups.
Pineal glands were removed from the brain
along with the superior colliculus, so that the pineal
recess of the third ventricle was also included.
Pineal glands were put in Bouin’s fluid. After
fixation, the specimens were processed for light
microscopy. Eight micron serial sections were cut
and stained. Staining methods used were
(1) Haematoxylin and eosin, (2) Masson’s fontanna
method for melanin, (3) Heidenhains’ iron
J. Anat. Soc. India 50(1) 17-18 (2001)
haemotoxylin for secretory materials, and (4)
Mallory’s phosphotungstic acid haematoxylin for
neuroglial cells and nerve fibres.
Observations :
Pineal gland had a well defined capsule
(piamater) and from the capsule septa extended into
the parenchyma dividing it into lobules (Fig. 1). The
lobular pattern was not well defined in older age
groups. Parenchyma consisted of mainly two types
of pinealocytes, light pinealocytes and dark
pinealocytes (Fig 2). Besides these cells, there were
glial cells (Fig. 2). Corpora aranacea were a
constant feature as age advanced.
Corpora aranacea were in two locations,
intrapineal in the pineal parenchyma and extrapineal
in the pineal capsule (Fig. 3). These calcified
deposits were of two patterns, one was a globular
pattern and the other was a concentric lamellated
pattern. The extrapineal were of concentric
lamellated pattern only. The intrapineal were of two
types, the globular type seen, where pinealocytes
were present and in younger age groups, and the
concentric lamellated type seen around glial fibres
and in older age groups. Corpora aranacea
appeared in a gland of 12 year. Globular pattern of
calcification was chiefly in younger age groups and
among large amount of pinealocytes (Fig. 4). As age
advanced, there were areas of more glial fibres, and
of glial cyst with central coagulum and surrounding
glial fibres (Fig. 5). Peripheral to the glial fibre tissue
were areas of pinealocytes. In the areas of more
glial fibres, large amount of concentric lamellated
crystals of corpora aranacea were present in areas
of less pinealocytes and more glial fibres (Fig. 6).
Discussion :
Corpora aranacea are composed of calcium
and magnesium salts, Polypeptide hormones,
18
produced by pineal neuroglia and neurons,
combined with specific protein carriers. They are
released by exocytosis, together with fragments of
vasicular membranes, the latter forming exocytotic
debris. When released, the complex is believed to
dissociate, hormones being exchanged for calcium
ions. The calcium carrier complex so formed is, in
the pineal, deposited concentrically around
exocytotic debris as corpora aranacea (Lukaszyk
and Rieter, 1975). Presence of calcified concretions
need not reflect a pathological state as these pineal
glands were collected from accident deads, whose
health status was unknown and who probably were
of normal health.
The degree of calcification invariably increases
from younger to older age groups and occasionally,
corpora aranacea are absent in some adult
specimens as according to Krabbe (1955). The
morphology of corpora aranacea shows variations in
the present study. Calcification occurs not only in
the pineal gland but also in the capsule. Vigh et al.
(1998) reported the presence of calcium alongside
the cell membranes and that meningeal corpora
aranacea are in the form of concentric lamellae &
intrapineal as globular. But in the present study, as
age advances, the intrapineal concretions are of
concentric lamellar pattern. Thus, probably the
morphology of intrapineal conceretions changes as
age advances, globular pattern in younger age
groups & concentric lamellar pattern in older age
groups. As age advances, the number of
pinealocytes decreases and glial fibres increase.
The pattern of intrapineal concretions also changes.
Globular type of calcified deposits are seen
where large amount of pineal parenchyma is present
and in younger age groups; whereas concentric
lamellated type of calcified deposits are usually
associated with large amounts of glial fibres and in
older age groups. Humbert and Pevet (1995)
observed in aging rats two types of calcification by
electron microscopic and electron diffraction
methods, an amorphous type with concentric layers
and crystalline type with needle shaped crystals and
stated that the genesis takes place in dark
pinealocytes, which contains more calcium and that
once formed the concretions reach extracellular
space.
The amount of calcarous deposits do not seem
to significantly increase as age advanced but the
pattern of deposit differs. Kodaka et al (1994) stated
that initial human calcification is as calcified
pinealocytes, which grow appositionally forming
concentric laminations and then simple
calcospherulites aggregated with each other and
that some of them become numerous aggregated
Calcification in Pineal Gland
concretions, others individually develop scallop-
shaped concentric laminations and become lobated
calcospherulites. Cytoplasmic microacervuli are
localized ultrastructurally in pineal gland from age of
2 days to 86 years; microacervuli are barely present
or frequently absent in the oldest subjects; their
involvement in the secretory activity rather than in
gland atrophy suggests a close relationship between
cytoplasmic microacervuli and intermediate
microfilaments and a possible role of the
cytoskeleton in the formation of corpora aranacea
(Gallinai et al. 1989).
Where the concretions occur adjacent to
pinealocytes, it is crystalline, needle shaped &
globular (Fig. 3) while adjacent to glial fibres or
other connective tissue, it is amorphous, concentric
& lamellar (Fig. 6).
To conclude, (1) Pinealocytes are abundant in
younger age groups, where the concretions are in
the form of crystalline globular pattern. (2) As age
advances, pinealocytes decrease and glial fibres
increase. Secretory products of pinealocytes are
less so that the concretions are modified to
amorphous concentric lamellar pattern.
References :
1. Galliani, I., Frank, F., Gobbi, P., Giangaspero, F. and Falcieri,
E. (1989): Histochemical and ultrastructural study of human
pineal gland in the course of aging. Journal of
Submicroscopic Cytology and Pathology. 21(3): 571-8.
2. Humbert, W. and Pevet, P. (1995): Calcium concretions in
the pineal gland of aged rats: an ultrastructural and
microanalytical study of their biogenesis: Cell & Tissue
Research 279(3): 565-73.
3. Kodaka, T., Mori, R., Debari, K. and Yamada, M. (1940):
Scanning electron microscopy and electron probe
microanalysis studies of human pineal concretions. Journal
of Electron Microscopy (Tokyo) 43(5): 307-17.
4. Krabbe, K.H. (1995): Development of the pineal organ and a
rudimentary parietal eye in some birds Journal of
Comparative Neurology 103: 139-49.
5. Lukaszyk, A. and Rieter, R.J. (1975): Histophysiological
evidence for the secretion of polypeptides by the pineal gland.
American Journal of Anatomy 103: 139-149.
6. Vigh, B., Szel, A., Debreceni, K., Fejer, Z., Manzano e Silva,
M.J. and Vigh-Teichmann, I. (1998): Comparative histology of
pineal calcification: History and Histopathology 13(3): 851-
70.
7. Willaims, P.L., Warwick, R., Dyson, M. and Bannister, L.H.:
Gray’s Anatomy. In: The Endocrine System. 37th Edn,
Churchill Livingstone, London, pp. 1450-475. (1989).
J. Anat. Soc. India 50(1) 17-18 (2001)
Opp. 18 Calcification in Pineal Gland

Fig. 1. Lobular appearance of pineal parenchyma (100 X).

Capsule — C
Septa — S
Lobule — L

Fig. 2. Cells in parenchyma (1000 X).

Dark pinealocyte — Square
Light pinealocyte— Thick arrow
Glial cell — Thin arrow
Opp. 18 Calcification in Pineal Gland

Fig. 3. Extrapineal calcification in capsule (100 X).

Concentric lamellar pattern — Thick arrow (LC)

Fig. 4. Intrapineal calcification in parenchyma (100 X).

Globular pattern (arrow) surrounded by pinealocytes
Opp. 18 Calcification in Pineal Gland

Fig. 5. Increased glial fibres with glial cyst (100 X)

Area of glial fibres — F
Glial cyst — C

Fig. 6. Intrapineal calcification in parenchyma (100 X)

Concentric lamellar pattern (arrow) surrounded by glial fibres (F)