Ma Vie En Noir: Fifty Years With Melatonin And The Stone Of Madness (springer Biographies)

I wrote this book urged by the overwhelming desire that arises towards the end of life to recapitulate the past. My goal was to summarize my experience of practicing science at the end of the 20th and early 21st centuries in Argentina, a country located far away from the world’s leading scientific centers. In the book, I summarize the intricacies of the pineal gland (“the stone of madness”) as historical, mystical and medical entity and its entry in contemporary medicine with the description of melatonin. I also reflect on how being associated with an unexplored subject at the beginning of his scientific career impacts the life of a scientist throughout their entire life. Today we know that in humans pineal melatonin is released every day late in the evening, and there is evidence that it is the trigger for the sleep process. But the most exciting aspect of melatonin is that it is a substance that is present in all living creatures, from unicellular organisms to plants and higher mammals, a fact that evinces its importance for life. Further, the neuroprotective action of melatonin promises to be crucial for the control of neurodegenerative diseases we face as a pandemic in this century. The discoverer of melatonin, Aaron Lerner, based its name on melano, the Greek word for black, because of its effect on the pigment cells of the skin. As in "__La vie en rose__", the immortal Edith Piaf song written in 1946, my lifelong work with melatonin could well be called "__Ma vie en noir__". I wrote this book urged by the overwhelming desire that arises towards the end of life to recapitulate the past. My goal was to summarize my experience of practicing science at the end of the 20th and early 21st centuries in Argentina, a country located far away from the worldĺls leading scientific centers. In the book, I summarize the intricacies of the pineal gland (ĺlthe stone of madnessĺl) as historical, mystical and medical entity and its entry in contemporary medicine with the description of melatonin. I also reflect on how being associated with an unexplored subject at the beginning of their scientific career impacts the life of a scientist throughout their entire life. Today we know that in humans pineal melatonin begins is released every day late in the evening, and there is evidence that it is the trigger for the sleep process. But the most exciting aspect of melatonin is that it is a substance that is present in all living creatures, from unicellular organisms to plants and higher mammals, a fact that evinces its importance for life. Further, the neuroprotective action of melatonin promises to be crucial for the control of neurodegenerative diseases we face as a pandemic in this century. The discoverer of melatonin, Aaron Lerner, based its name on melano, the Greek word for black, because of its effect on the pigment cells of the skin. As in "La vie en rose", the immortal Edith Piaf song written in 1946, my lifelong work with melatonin could well be called "Ma vie en noir" I wrote this book urged by the overwhelming desire that arises towards the end of life to recapitulate the past. My goal was to summarize my experience of practicing science at the end of the 20th and early 21st centuries in Argentina, a country located far away from the world’s leading scientific centers. In the book, I summarize the intricacies of the pineal gland (“the stone of madness”) as historical, mystical and medical entity and its entry in contemporary medicine with the description of melatonin. I also reflect on how being associated with an unexplored subject at the beginning of his scientific career impacts the life of a scientist throughout their entire life. Today we know that in humans pineal melatonin is released every day late in the evening, and there is evidence that it is the trigger for the sleep process. But the most exciting aspect of melatonin is that it is a substance that is present in all living creatures, from unicellular organisms to plants and higher mammals, a fact that evinces its importance for life. Further, the neuroprotective action of melatonin promises to be crucial for the control of neurodegenerative diseases we face as a pandemic in this century. The discoverer of melatonin, Aaron Lerner, based its name on melano, the Greek word for black, because of its effect on the pigment cells of the skin. As in " La vie en rose ", the immortal Edith Piaf song written in 1946, my lifelong work with melatonin could well be called " Ma vie en noir ". Preface 6 A Contagious Stone? 6 Contents 10 Abbreviations 12 1: Brief History of the Stone of Madness 15 References 22 2: The Prescientific Stage of the Pineal Gland 23 References 35 3: The Beginnings of the Pineal Scientific Era: From the Late Nineteenth Century to Melatonin’s Discovery 36 References 43 4: Sleep/Wake Cycle: History and Facts 45 References 62 5: When This Chronicler Enters the Story: The 1960s 64 References 70 6: The Stone of Madness as a Neuroendocrine Organ and Model: The 1970s 72 References 94 7: Peripheral Innervation of Neuroendocrine-Immune System: The Challenges to Change a Physiological Paradigm 97 References 119 8: Melatonin as a Potential Therapeutic Agent: The 1980s 124 References 136 9: Melatonin as a Chronobiotic That Opens the “Gates of Sleep”: The 1990s 140 References 159 10: Melatonin and the “Diseases of the Soul”: The Stone of Madness Returns 164 References 174 11: Twenty-First Century: The 24/7 Society as an Environmental Mutation 179 References 191 12: Melatonin as a Medicament for the 24/7 Society: Metabolic Syndrome 193 References 215 13: Melatonin as a Medicament for the 24/7 Society: Normal and Pathological Aging 222 References 246 14: Melatonin as a Medicament for the 24/7 Society: Cancer 251 References 277 15: Melatonin as a Nutraceutical 288 References 292 Epilogue 294 Index 298 Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Brief History of the Stone of Madness....Pages 1-8 The Prescientific Stage of the Pineal Gland....Pages 9-21 The Beginnings of the Pineal Scientific Era: From the Late Nineteenth Century to Melatonin’s Discovery....Pages 23-31 Sleep/Wake Cycle: History and Facts....Pages 33-51 When This Chronicler Enters the Story: The 1960s....Pages 53-60 The Stone of Madness as a Neuroendocrine Organ and Model: The 1970s....Pages 61-85 Peripheral Innervation of Neuroendocrine-Immune System: The Challenges to Change a Physiological Paradigm....Pages 87-113 Melatonin as a Potential Therapeutic Agent: The 1980s....Pages 115-130 Melatonin as a Chronobiotic That Opens the “Gates of Sleep”: The 1990s....Pages 131-154 Melatonin and the “Diseases of the Soul”: The Stone of Madness Returns....Pages 155-169 Twenty-First Century: The 24/7 Society as an Environmental Mutation....Pages 171-184 Melatonin as a Medicament for the 24/7 Society: Metabolic Syndrome....Pages 185-213 Melatonin as a Medicament for the 24/7 Society: Normal and Pathological Aging....Pages 215-243 Melatonin as a Medicament for the 24/7 Society: Cancer....Pages 245-281 Melatonin as a Nutraceutical....Pages 283-288 Back Matter....Pages 289-301