Science创刊125周年之际公布的125个最具挑战性的科学问题中,“是什么引发了青春期?”是一个涉及演化、遗传、发育发展等众多领域的复杂问题.目前已有的研究主要集中在下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴(hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal,HPG)激活状态的变化.一些内分泌因子(神经激素和神经递质),特别是下丘脑弓状核神经元分泌的kisspeptin可能是这个神奇生物钟的第一块多米诺骨牌之一,它可以引发下丘脑分泌促性腺激素释放激素(Gn RH),促使腺垂体脉冲式释放促性腺激素卵泡刺激素(FSH)和黄体生成素(LH),刺激性腺释放性激素,导致个体第二性征发育,生殖器官成熟.与此同时,大量研究结果已经说明,生活环境的资源供给以及个体营养状况等也会影响青春期启动的时间,青春期发育异常的人类和动物数据也暗示存在一些决定青春期起始的遗传因素.但是对青春期引发机制的整合理解尚需更多研究,如脑发育导致的自上而下的调控,各种神经激素和神经递质的协同以及社会心理因素如何接入HPG轴环路等.对引发青春期机制的揭示不仅有助于理解个体成熟的精密过程,为预防和治疗发育异常提供指导,还可以以此推演,深化对物种延续适应机理的探索. Of the 125 most challenging scientific issues published on the 125th anniversary of Science, “What triggers adolescence?” Is a complex issue involving many fields such as evolution, genetics, developmental development, etc. The current research Mainly in the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) activation state.Many endocrine factors (neurohormones and neurotransmitters), especially the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus neurons secreting kisspeptin may be this It is one of the first dominoes in the magical circadian clock that triggers the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus, which induces the pulsatile release of gonadotropin follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland, Stimulating gonadal release of sex hormones, leading to the development of secondary sexual characteristics of individuals, reproductive organs.At the same time, a large number of studies have shown that the supply of living resources and individual nutritional status will also affect the start of adolescence, adolescent dysplasia And animal data also suggest there are some genetic factors that determine the onset of puberty, but the need to integrate understanding of the puberty initiation mechanism Studies such as top-down regulation of brain development, the synergism of various neurohormones and neurotransmitters, and how psychosocial factors access the HPG loop etc. The revelation of the mechanisms that lead to adolescence not only helps to understand individual maturation Precise process, to provide guidance for the prevention and treatment of developmental abnormalities, but also can deduce, deepen the exploration of species continuation of adaptation mechanism.