ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

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...

To read the full abstract: Nat Commun 2018;9.400Pheromones play a crucial role to identify potential mates and sexual motivation in mice. These molecules are detected by a specialized circuit which initiates in the nasal septum and then relies on GnRH neurons in the hypothalamus in a sex-dependent manner. Female pheromones induce LH/testosterone release in male mice whereas male pheromones i...