ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

Brief Summary: This multi-ancestry genetic analysis including ~800,000 women, identified 1,080 signals for age at menarche, explaining 11% of trait variance.Age at menarche is a highly polygenic trait which varies widely among individuals (4-5 years)1. Recent genome wide association studies, mostly conducted in subjects of European ancestry, have identified several hundred of loci corresponding to ~ 25% of the hereditability2-5....

Brief Summary: This translational study identifies significant shifts in bile acid composition associated with puberty in female adolescents and rats and identifies a new mechanism of GnRH secretion regulation by bile acid.Metabolic cues regulate the reactivation of the GnRH system at puberty. The last few years have identified leptin, ghrelin and essential fatty acids as permissive or inhibitory cues regulating GnRH neuron activity1-4. The ef...

Brief Summary: This study used chemogenetics and transgenic mouse models to show that glutamatergic neurotransmission in leptin responsive neurons in the premammillary nucleus is required for normal puberty and ovulation.Puberty and the acquisition of reproductive functions result from the reawakening of a complex neuroendocrine machinery eventually leading to the activation of GnRH secretion. Metabolic cues play a crucial role in regulating this system ...

Brief Summary: This study demonstrates that stress during puberty in mice leads to a permanent disruption in female sexual behavior, specifically affecting sexual performance and disrupted estrous cycles.Puberty is critical for the development of the female brain and sexual behavior1,2. The neural circuits involved in the establishment of the control of sexual behavior are still poorly understood.The authors found that f...

Brief Summary: This review summarizes the role of macronutrients and hormones which regulate energy balance and sexual maturation by conveying energy availability information to the GnRH system.30 years ago, Kennedy and Mitra were the first to use translational studies to show that nutrition is a key factor regulating puberty timing1. Their seminal protocol modified the size of rat litters to affect weight increase and showed that nutritional ...