ESPE Yearbook of Paediatric Endocrinology

To read the full abstract: Endocrinology 2019;160:1323–1332.Elevated prolactin levels suppress pulsatile release of GnRH from the hypothalamus, with a consequent reduction in pulsatile LH secretion from the pituitary. In this paper, the authors showed in mice that kisspeptin neurons located in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) respond to prolactin and conditional knockout of the prolactin r...

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...

Brief summary: This study identified a new role for GnRH in higher brain function using a rodent model of Down Syndrome. It reports for the first time an improvement of cognitive functions in patients with Down Syndrome treated with pulsatile GnRH.GnRH neurons are classically described as a population of neurons located in the hypothalamus and responsible for the activation and regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. However, the recent de...