The opioid system and excitatory amino acids in the onset of puberty in female rats.

The control of sexual maturation by the hypothalamus is incompletely understood. The activation and/or removal of inhibition of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion at puberty involves several neurotransmitters. Excitatory amino acids (EAA), such as L-glutamic acid (L-GLU), may increase gonadotropin secretion acting on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and non-NMDA receptors.