Pineal gland

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Pineal gland
Endocrine system
Diagram of pituitary and pineal glands.
Latin	glandula pinealis
Gray's	subject #276 1277
Artery	superior cerebellar artery
Precursor	Neural Ectoderm, Roof of Diencephalon
MeSH	Pineal+gland

The pineal gland (also called the pineal body, epiphysis cerebri, epiphysis or the "third eye") is a small endocrine gland in the vertebrate brain. It produces melatonin, a hormone that affects the modulation of wake/sleep patterns and photoperiodic (seasonal) functions.^[1][2] It is shaped like a tiny pine cone (hence its name), and is located near to the center of the brain, between the two hemispheres, tucked in a groove where the two rounded thalamic bodies join.