Neurobiological bases underlying the control of the onset of puberty in the rhesus monkey: a representative higher primate.

The purpose of this article is to discuss our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms that govern the timing of the onset of puberty in the rhesus monkey, a representative higher primate, and, whenever possible, to place findings obtained from studies of this macaque in perspective with those for the human situation. Specifically, the dynamics in the postnatal ontogeny of hypothalamic GnRH gene expression and release are described, and the roles of neuropeptide Y and gamma-aminobutyric acid in imposing the restraint on pulsatile GnRH release during juvenile development are examined. Finally, the hypothesis that circulating leptin provides the signal that times the reaugmentation of pulsatile GnRH release at the termination of juvenile development, and therefore triggers the onset of primate puberty, is discussed. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.