Larval Zebrafish Pineal Gland, Where Melatonin is Made (IMAGE)

California Institute of Technology

Larval Zebrafish Pineal Gland, Where Melatonin is Made

Caption

The larval zebrafish pineal gland, which produces the hormone melatonin, is shown in red for aanat2, a gene which is required for the natural production of melatonin, and in green for an enzyme used to ablate the pineal gland. In studying this area of the brain and the effects of blocking the natural synthesis of melatonin in this region, Caltech researchers recently showed that melatonin normally plays an important role in sleep, helping zebrafish larvae to both fall asleep and stay asleep.

Credit

Avni Gandhi/Caltech

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