Early scholars, such as Descartes, believed which brain organ served as the portal between the mind and the body?

A) striate cortex
B) hippocampus
C) pineal gland
D) medulla

Early scholars, such as Descartes, believed that the pineal gland served as the portal between the mind and the body, as it is a small, cone-shaped organ located deep within the brain that was believed to regulate bodily functions in response to the soul or the mind. However, modern neuroscience has shown that the pineal gland is primarily involved in regulating sleep/wake cycles and the production of the hormone melatonin, and that there is no one specific brain organ that can be pinpointed as the sole connector between the mind and the body.