Pineal Gland

unwanted movements from happening so that your movements are not so exaggerated or extreme. In a way, it reduces excitation input into the cortex so that movement is smoother.

The basal ganglia helps to modify your thinking and emotional responses. Parts of the basal ganglia, particularly the accumbens nucleus, take in input from the limbic or emotional parts of the brain in order to integrate them with other input the basal ganglia receives.

PINEAL GLAND

The pineal gland is not exactly a brain structure but is an endocrine gland found amid the brain tissue. Its endocrine role is to secrete melatonin, which is a hormone that helps to regulate the body’s circadian rhythm. It also seems to block the action of other endocrine hormones. The gland itself is about six millimeters in diameter and contain cells called pinealocytes, which make melatonin, along with supporting cells called glial cells. In the healthy older person, it can show up on x-ray because it becomes calcified.

You can find the pineal gland attached to a stalk near the posterior aspect of the third ventricle. Figure 12 shows what the pineal gland looks like: