Releasing the brake on puberty
Abstract
What is so magical about the age at onset of puberty in humans — currently set at approximately 11 years of age?1 Why not 6 or 16? Indeed, addressing this question from the perspective of evolutionary biology2 suggests that puberty, as defined by age at menarche in girls, was earlier in Neolithic times and became delayed during the Industrial Revolution before reverting over the past two centuries to the present set point.3 The shortened life span and the need to reach reproductive capacity would seem to have been predominant influences on the age of menarche thousands of years ago, whereas . . .
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Taken together, the findings suggest that the loss of function of MKRN3 results in early puberty, implying an inhibitory role of MKRN3 on GnRH secretion.
“Taken together, these findings suggest that the loss of function of MKRN3 results in early puberty, implying an inhibitory role of MKRN3 on GnRH secretion.77”
From Pubertal development and regulation (2016) · cites this paper as [77]
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Puberty 1 Pubertal development and regulation
Abreu, A. P., & Kaiser, U. B. (2016)
Pubertal Timing, Smoking, and Sexual Activity
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- Authors
- Hughes, I. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Hughes, Ieuan A.
- ORCID
- Hughes, Ieuan A.
- Venue
- New England Journal of Medicine
- Publisher
- Massachusetts Medical Society
- Published
- 2013-06-27
- Volume
- 368
- Issue
- 26
- Pages
- 2513-2515
- ISSN
- 0028-4793 (ISSN-L)
- 1533-4406
- OpenAlex
- W2061774338
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 2
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- New England Journal of Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Keywords
- age at menarche, puberty onset, Neolithic, Industrial Revolution, reproductive capacity, lifespan
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Female, Humans, Male, Puberty, Precocious, Ribonucleoproteins, Frameshift Mutation, Mutation, Missense, Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
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