The Nation - News from Feb. 7, 1986

The pineal gland, located deep in the human brain, may control seasonal mood swings, scientists at the National Institute of Health reported in the journal Science. The gland, previously thought to be only a messenger pumping hormones into the bloodstream at the brain’s command, is actually connected to the brain by a series of nerve-like circuits and, according to neuroscientist David C. Klein, may even be the key to discovering the biological process of seasonal function disorder. People with the disorder are subject to mood swings depending on the season.