ESPE Abstracts

Puberty, as the developmental continuum between infancy and adulthood, is a complex maturational transition, affecting different body systems, which is under the control of sophisticated regulatory networks. Concerning the pubertal awakening of the reproductive axis, much has been learnt in the last decades on the central mechanisms whereby puberty onset is driven. However, most of the information so far available is limited to the roles of specific neurotransmitters and their...

Puberty is defined by the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics and the maturation of reproductive function. It is driven by an increase in sexual steroid hormone synthesis under the control of the gonadotropic axis. The key event in puberty initiation is an increase in the pulsatile release of the GnRH by hypothalamic neurons, triggering the release of LH and FSH. This pubertal increase in GnRH secretion is associated with increases in glutamatergic inputs and decrea...

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