Pubertal control mechanisms as revealed from human studies.
Human puberty is thought to be regulated by a central nervous system (CNS) program. Strong presumptive evidence for this thesis has been drawn from the augmented gonadotropin secretion that occurs synchronously with sleep in early puberty and serves as a biologic index to CNS puberty. In response to wake/sleep gonadotropin patterns, sex steroids are also secreted in circadian-like patterns during puberty. In disorders such as precocious puberty, anorexia nervosa, and gonadal dysgenesis, the physiological mechanisms that control wake/sleep differences in gonadotropin secretion appear to be intact. Studies in such patients suggest that the primary sex hormones have a quantitative but not qualitative modulating effect on the CNS program. Possible additional control mechanisms include adrenal androgen secretion and body composition.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000503:physiopathology; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D005260:Female; D006059:Gonadal Dysgenesis / Q000503:physiopathology; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D006065:Gonadotropins, Pituitary / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty; D011629:Puberty, Precocious / Q000503:physiopathology; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*
D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D006065:Gonadotropins, Pituitary; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone