Document Type : Research article
Authors
1
Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef
2
Department of Biology, College of Education, Salahaddin University-Erbil, 44001, Iraq
3
Anatomy and Embryology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62511, Egypt
Abstract
The mammalian pineal gland, a photo-neuroendocrine gland, regulates the circadian rhythm and reproductive activity in seasonally breeding animals. The current study aimed to clarify the morphometric features of the pineal gland and evaluate its normal MRI characteristics using variable MRI sequences in donkeys. We used twenty-two cadaveric heads from slaughtered adult donkeys with no abnormal neurological signs. Two heads were scanned using a 1.5 tesla MRI magnet in three sequences (T1-weighted, T2-weighted, Flair) and then preserved in a 10% formalin solution for ten days. The brains of these preserved heads were sectioned into sagittal and transverse slices. The brains of the other twenty heads were carefully extracted, and their weight, length, width, and height were measured. The pineal gland width, length, and height of these samples were also measured and correlated to the animal's sex and age, brain size, and body weight using different statistical tests. The mean pineal gland size was 1.23 ±0.13 cm length, 0.32 ±0.11 cm width, and 0.62 ±0.20 cm height. There was no significant difference detected between gland size and the animal's sex and age, brain size, or body weight (P>0.05). The gross sections of the brain aided in the morphological description of the pineal gland, including its color, shape, position, and relations. Moreover, using variable sequences of MRI enabled a comprehensive evaluation of the pineal gland with different intensities. These anatomical features of the pineal gland could be used as a standard anatomic reference for further interpretation of the pineal diseases in donkeys.
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