Recent Progress of Pineal Research - 40 Years After Discovery of Melatonin (Biological Signals, 4-6)

Melatonin is a hormonal signal for the photoperiod and is intricately involved in many aspects of circadian and seasonal physiology. This publication contains approaches to the study of pinealocytes, including confocal microscopy with three-dimensional reconstruction, calcium imaging of identified cells, patchclamp analysis of novel ion channels, and techniques for the monitoring of circadian melatonin production. Also reviewed are findings on the molecular and pharmacological characteristics of melatonin receptors, mechanisms of melatonin action and human melatonin in health and disease. This collection of papers offers a resource in the study of circadian and seasonal physiology for all those working in related fields