The anatomical name of the pineal gland comes from Greek: epiphysiscerebri. It is a small organ, the size of a bean that juts out (from which epìphysis = something that grows above) at the posterior end of the third cerebral ventricle, and is located in the epithalamus region.

The pineal gland has connections with the brain, the neuroendocrine (hormonal) system, the ganglia and peripheral nerves through a complex web of two-directional connections. More specifically, it is connected to the nuclei of the anterior hypothalamus (suprachiasmatic nuclei), the pituitary gland, the eyes (retina) and, through the supracervical nerve ganglia, the thyroid, the thymus and to all the other endocrine glands such as the adrenal and gonad glands.

Through its direct connections with the brain’s centers that regulate temperature and the photoperiod (night/day circadian and seasonal), and the cyclical variations in the synthesis and secretion of hormones, the mother pineal gland acts as a real hormonal orchestra conductor, regulating growth processes, the manifestation of puberty, fertility and aging.

These life events can be considered real programs, and precisely and distinctly. It is clear that aging is not produced by any disease, but it is also true that many diseases can accelerate senescence.

The observations that have multiplied over the years, following the tests carried out by Professor Walter Pierpaoli, have contributed to the clarification that death is not a consequence of aging. To the contrary, aging and death respond to two different messages from the pineal gland, and are therefore two different programs.

Experiments carried out on rodents, as well as further clinical proof has shown that a health pineal gland, and its molecules, for example melatonin, can contribute to systemically delaying and reversing the aging process. A more than realistic, even possible, option, thanks to the pineal gland’s specific function. It is the organ in charge of marking the various phases of life by its regulation of hormonal secretions.

The pineal gland is the key to understanding the nature of aging, thanks to those inherent requisites that make it the regulatory, primary agent of those processes that are a part of every phase of human life, from both, to senescence to death. The circadian and season rhythms of the hormones that regulate the body’s functions also depend on the pineal gland, in particular the oxidative processes of cell respiration and thermoregulation.

In our vision, the result of years of study and research, death occurs after a precise signal, programmed in time and conveyed by the pineal gland. «We have sufficient, valid information to suppose that we can reach 120-130 years of age (in good health), but no more. Why? Because there is a “clock of death” that marks the programmed end of life, that is not connected to aging.»