Pinealectomy and Brain Myelination1

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Abstract
To determine the possible effect of pinealectomy on brain myelination, 32 rat pups were subjected either to pinealectomy or shampinealectomy at age 4 days. These animals, reared in diurnal lighting, were killed at 40 days of age and their brains individually subjected to lipid analysis for total lipid, ganglioside, proteolipid protein, cholesterol, sulfatide, phospholipid and percent distribution of phospholipid; cerebroside values were derived. In both sexes significantly lower values (p < 0.01) for total lipid, cerebroside, sulfatide, phosphatidyl inositol plus phosphatidyl serine, and sphingomyelin were found in the pinealectomized animals as compared with the sham—operated rats. In addition, proteolipid protein was significantly lower (p < 0.01) in the female pinealectomized versus sham—operated rats, and phosphatidyl choline significantly higher (p < 0.01) in the male pinealectomized versus shamoperated animals. The ratio of phosphatidyl ethanolamine to phosphatidyl choline was significantly lower (p < 0.01) in the male pinealectomized versus sham—operated rats. The results are interpreted as indicating that neonatal pinealectomy can induce a delay in brain maturation, the delay probably involving myelin formation. (Endocrinology92: 1426, 1973)

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