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The pineal gland (also called the pineal body or epiphysis) is a small endocrine gland in the brain. It is located near
the center of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies
join.
The pineal gland is a reddish-gray body about the size of a pea (8 mm in humans) located just rostro-dorsal to the
superior colliculus and behind and beneath the stria medullaris, between the laterally positioned thalamic bodies. It is
part of the epithalamus.
The pineal gland is a midline structure, and is often seen in plain skull X-rays, as it is often calcified. The main
hormone produced and secreted by the pineal gland is melatonin. Secretion is highest at night and between the ages
of 0-5.
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