Until recently it was thought that melatonin acted only through the pituitary gland in the brain.

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There he was handed the low-priority task of exploring the basic science of the pituitary gland.

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He read of animals with prolonged pregnancies whose fetuses lacked a pituitary gland.

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Sheller explains that Risperdal stimulated the production of prolacting, which is a hormone released by the pituitary gland that stimulates breast development.

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"When you irradiate a young child's brain, say less than 5 years old, you hit the pituitary gland, which controls growth hormone production, " he said.

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Doctors from Queen Mary, University of London, are also taking part in the study that looks for a gene called AIP, which causes abnormal growth of the pituitary gland.

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While most people who carry the gene do not experience any health problems, it can lead to acromegaly - a condition in which a benign enlargement of the pituitary gland causes excess growth of muscles, cartilage and bones.

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Novartis says it hopes next year to apply for approval for three additional drugs for various tumors types, including a new treatment for ovarian cancer, a new lymphoma medicine and a drug for Cushing's disease, a benign tumor in the pituitary gland.

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