Precocious Puberty and Tumors of the Hypothalamus

Weinberger, Laurence M.; Grant, Francis C.

doi:10.1001/archinte.1941.00200040055005

Cited by 91 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Precocious ovulation, but not menarche, in female rhesus monkeys was induced by complete deafferentation of the medial basal hypothalamus (14). Reviews of clinical reports in humans noted that an area of the hypothalamus which was commonly involved in sexual precocity was located posterior to the median eminence and included the tuber cinereum, the mamillary body, and the floor of the posterior part of the third ventricle (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Primary sites of lesions in the rhesus monkey in this experiment are located in the posterior nucleus, the premamillary area, and mamillary body, but not including the infundibular nucleus and median eminence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Posterior Hypothalamic Lesions Advance the Onset of Puberty in the Female Rhesus Monkey*

et al. 1984

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The effects of experimental lesions in the posterior hypothalamus and the anterior hypothalamus on menarche and first ovulation were examined in nonhuman primates. With the aid of x-ray ventriculography, bilateral lesions were made by passing a radiofrequency current through a thermister electrode in the posterior hypothalamus (n = 7) or the anterior hypothalamus (n = 6) of female rhesus monkeys at 18 months of age. Four animals that received sham lesions as well as four normal females of a similar age served as controls. All animals were caged individually and examined daily for vaginal bleeding and sex skin color change. Developmental changes in gonadotropins, ovarian steroids, body weight, and nipple size were monitored throughout the experiments. The time of first ovulation was determined by laparoscopic observation of the newly formed corpus luteum and by the level of circulating progesterone. Histological examination confirmed that the bilateral lesions in the hypothalamus were approximately 2-3 mm in diameter and overlapped midline. Primary sites of posterior hypothalamic lesions included the premamillary area and the posterior nucleus, while the infundibular nucleus and the median eminence were entirely spared. The posterior lesions encroached upon the mamillary nuclei caudally in most cases and upon the ventromedial nucleus rostrally in some cases. Primary sites of anterior hypothalamic lesions included the medial preoptic area, the periventricular preoptic nucleus, and the anterior hypothalamic nucleus. Partial lesions of the diagonal bundle of Broca, the medial preoptic nucleus, and the paraventricular nucleus were also detected. Posterior hypothalamic lesions advanced the ages at menarche (22.2 +/- 1.3 months; P less than 0.001) and first ovulation (40.7 +/- 2.7 months; P less than 0.05) compared to those of control animals (menarche, 30.3 +/- 3.1; first ovulation, 51.2 +/- 3.3 months). The body weight at menarche of these lesioned animals (2.62 +/- 0.11 kg) was smaller (P less than 0.05) than that of controls (3.14 +/- 0.20 kg), but the body weight at first ovulation of lesioned animals (4.36 +/- 0.28 kg) was not different from that of controls (4.57 +/- 0.13 kg). Hormonal and physical changes during maturation, i.e. an increase in circulating estradiol and growth in nipple size before menarche and first ovulation, occurred earlier in the lesioned animals and the growth spurt before first ovulation not only began earlier but also attained mature levels several months earlier than that in control animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…e Calculation was made only for three animals that completed the second ovulation. 1 Calculation was made for all of the animals surviving through 40 months of age. One animal (Rh 1836) died at 40.7 months of age before menarche, and another animal (AD43) died at 43.8 months of age after menarche (26.4 months) but before the first ovulation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Posterior Hypothalamic Lesions Advance the Onset of Puberty in the Female Rhesus Monkey*

et al. 1984

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“…It is now clear that the hypothalamus exercises a regulatory influence on the secretion of hypophysial gonadotrophins (4,5). In addition, hypothalamic lesions can result in precocious puberty in man (6,7), rabbit (8) and rat (9,10,11), although there is disagreement as to the localization of the effective lesions. This makes it likely that some change in hypothalamic function initiates puberty by activating release of hypophysial gonadotrophins.…”

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confidence: 99%

Comparison of the Regulation of Luteinizing Hormone (LH) Secretion in Immature and Adult Rats

1963

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“…Since the gonadotrophic functions of the adenohypophysis in adult animals have been shown to be dependent upon intact connexions between this gland and the hypothalamus (Benoit & Assenmacher, 1955;Donovan & Harris, 1955) it is reasonable to suggest that the onset of puberty is likewise controlled through the hypothalamus. Clinical workers (Dott, 1938;Weinberger & Grant, 1941;Lange-Cosack, 1951, 1952Bauer, 1954) have found that precocious puberty in children is often associated with destructive processes in the posterior division of the hypothalamus.…”

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confidence: 99%