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10369751 
Book/Book Chapter 
Chapter 30 - puberty in mice and rats 
Prevot, V 
2014 
Laboratory of Development and Plasticity of the Neuroendocrine Brain, Jean-Pierre Aubert Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Lille 
Lille, France 
Knobil and Neill's Physiology of Reproduction (Fourth Edition) 
1395-1439 
English 
A century of research has shown that in rodents, as in higher mammals, puberty is initiated by the activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis, and specifically, by the release of GnRH from hypothalamic neurons into the pituitary portal circulation and the subsequent triggering of gonadotropin release by the pituitary. However, the cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms underlying this timely activation of GnRH secretion remain obscure. In this chapter, I aim to recapitulate the current state of knowledge regarding central processes controlling the development of the GnRH system and its activation at puberty in male and female rodents. In particular, I will outline recent findings regarding the GnRH neural network, including the roles of both other neurons (such as those expressing kisspeptin) and glia. I will also discuss transsynaptic and nonsynaptic factors, as well as external influences that determine the functional maturation of GnRH production and release, and the regulation of GnRH expression at the genetic and epigenetic levels. 
Development; Estradiol; Fertility; FSH; Hypothalamus; LH; Neuroanatomy; Neuroendocrinology; Physiology; Sexual maturation; Testosterone 
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