Brain Development of Puberty

Question 1

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 1

• develops in early adulthood
• focus on frontal lobes

Question 2

limbic system

Answer 2

reward system
- undergoes synaptic changes and spiking of dopamine

Question 3

dopamine spike

Answer 3

hyperactivation of the reward system
- linked to adolescent risk-taking and desire for novel experience

Question 4

dopamine

Answer 4

primary neurotransmitter in the limbic system that activations the reward system

Question 5

neuro-hormonal system

Answer 5

activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis

Question 6

HPG axis

Answer 6

circuit that extends from brain to sex organs and back again
- regulates the hormones that affect the body’s growth and function

Question 7

GnRH

Answer 7

gonadotropin-releasing hormone
- stimulates the pituitary glands to release gonadotropins

Question 8

gonadotropins

Answer 8

travel to sex glands where estrogen and androgen are produced

Question 9

Sex Hormones

Answer 9

• most puberty is caused by estrogen (estradiol) and testosterone (androgen)
• travels through the bloodstream and communicate w/ hormone-perceiving receptors

Question 10

HPG Activation

Answer 10

leptin triggers cascading hormone effects
- puberty is triggered by a system of interacting neural and hormonal processes due to kisspeptin

Question 11

kisspeptin

Answer 11

small protein that is produced by specialized cells in the hypothalamus and plays a role in the activation of HPG