Puberty and the GnRH Neuron

Icahn School Of Medicine At Mount Sinai, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

Control of reproductive development in mammals is quite complex. The primary regulatory level is the hypothalamus in the brain, containing neurons (nerve cells) that synthesize and release gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). GnRH is released in a pulsatile manner to the pituitary gland to activate the reproductive axis. Before puberty, GnRH release is low, but during puberty and maturation, increases in pulsatile GnRH release occur, and are much more dramatic during the night than the day. This project uses a physiological approach to deliver timed GnRH doses, to determine whether the nocturnal high release is obligatory for pubertal development, how the brain controls the timing of the pulsatile release, and the role of age in the pubertal increase in nocturnal GnRH release. Results will be important in understanding regulation of the onset of puberty and important for vertebrate reproduction beyond mammals. The project also has a substantial component of student training in a lab with an excellent record of mentoring.