A new research led by UCL and the University of Milan finds a molecule important in blood vessel formation and brain wiring is also essential for the onset of puberty.

From scientific point of view, growing up means simply becoming capable of reproduction. While this by far does not require one to act as a grown up, this is science for you, in those terms growing up depends on the time in our lives when the neurohormone gonadotropin-releasing hormone starts circulating in our systems. This is when things get wild and puberty kicks in! Scientist have seen already that the lack of this hormone inevitably delays puberty and in all cases leads to infertility. More recently faulty neurons have been blamed for the lack of the secretion of this hormone and the following conditions.

Long story short – the gene responsible for the lack of this hormone is called SEMA3E. The combination of the lack of this hormone with other conditions (like asthma for example) is known as the Kallmann syndrome, which is to an extent treatable, by hormone replacement therapy similar to the one applied in later stages of the human life. So, even if you could stay a child all your life, they wouldn’t let you, Peter Pan!

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original article here