The relationship between the olfactory bulb and precocious puberty: from the nose to the pituitary
-
Murat Karaoglan
and
Hale Çolakoğlu Er
Abstract
Background/objective
The olfactory bulb (OB) and pubertal development have a close relationship as they share a common ontogenetic origin. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential relationship between precocious puberty (PP) in girls as a sign of early pubertal timing and their OB volume as an indicator of its functional activity.
Design
In the study group (n = 125), OB volume, pituitary height (PH), body mass index (BMI) and body surface (S) variables were retrospectively investigated in 49 girls included in the PP group and 76 healthy girls constituting the control group. Volumetric and length measurements were performed on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan by using manual segmentation of slices.
Results
The mean OB volume (73.41 ± 17.21 mm3) and PH (4.96 ± 1.01 mm) were significantly higher in the PP group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). The mean volume difference between the right and left bulbs (1.52 ± 1.87) was higher in the PP group (p = 0.03). The body surface (1.05 ± 0.16 m2) was larger in the PP group (p = 0.09). There was a high correlation between the OB volume and PH (r125 = 0.716). There was a moderate correlation between the body surface and OB volume (r125 = 654), and a weak correlation between the former (S) and the PH (r125 = 452).
Conclusions
This study showed that there is a strong correlation between increased OB volume and PH in cases with PP. It indicates that increased OB volume may be a strong clue that olfactory functions play a role in pubertal timing in humans, although it does not show definitive proof of a causal relationship.
Acknowledgments
We would like to thank our colleagues for valuable advices and tecnical assistance.
Authors contributions: Murat Karaoglan participated in the design of the study, planned and thought the study; Hale Çolakoğlu Er measured the olfactory bulb volume and pituitary height on cranial MRI.
Research funding: None declared.
Employment or leadership: None declared.
Honorarium: None declared.
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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© 2019 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original Articles
- Association of the 3′UTR polymorphism (rs11665896) in the FGF21 gene with metabolic status and nutrient intake in children with obesity
- Future glycemic control of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus at toddler and preschool/school age
- Children with type 1 diabetes of early age at onset – immune and metabolic phenotypes
- Determination of cerebral edema with serial measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter during treatment in children with diabetic ketoacidosis: a longitudinal study
- Association between inflammation, oxidative stress, vitamin D, copper and zinc with pre-obesity and obesity in school children from the city of Podgorica, Montenegro
- Phenotypic diversity and correlation with the genotypes of pseudohypoaldosteronism type 1
- Start low, go slowly – mental abnormalities in young prolactinoma patients under cabergoline therapy
- Primary ovarian insufficiency in an adolescent population: clinical phenotype and diagnostic approach
- Novel combined insulin-like 3 variations of a single nucleotide in cryptorchidism
- Evaluation of the abdominopelvic region using MRI in patients with primary amenorrhea
- Benefits of aerobic training in girls with precocious puberty: involvement of CRP and cortisol
- The relationship between the olfactory bulb and precocious puberty: from the nose to the pituitary
- Short Communication
- Experience with intramuscular glucagon for infants with early neonatal hypoglycemia
- Case Reports
- A novel GATA6 variant in a boy with neonatal diabetes and diaphragmatic hernia: a familial case with a review of the literature
- Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in a 15-year-old Hispanic female with a novel AQP2 mutation
- Pediatric stroke as the presenting symptom of new-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus without DKA: case report and literature review
- Panhypopituitarism from neurosarcoidosis in an adolescent: case report and literature review
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Original Articles
- Association of the 3′UTR polymorphism (rs11665896) in the FGF21 gene with metabolic status and nutrient intake in children with obesity
- Future glycemic control of children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus at toddler and preschool/school age
- Children with type 1 diabetes of early age at onset – immune and metabolic phenotypes
- Determination of cerebral edema with serial measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter during treatment in children with diabetic ketoacidosis: a longitudinal study
- Association between inflammation, oxidative stress, vitamin D, copper and zinc with pre-obesity and obesity in school children from the city of Podgorica, Montenegro
- Phenotypic diversity and correlation with the genotypes of pseudohypoaldosteronism type 1
- Start low, go slowly – mental abnormalities in young prolactinoma patients under cabergoline therapy
- Primary ovarian insufficiency in an adolescent population: clinical phenotype and diagnostic approach
- Novel combined insulin-like 3 variations of a single nucleotide in cryptorchidism
- Evaluation of the abdominopelvic region using MRI in patients with primary amenorrhea
- Benefits of aerobic training in girls with precocious puberty: involvement of CRP and cortisol
- The relationship between the olfactory bulb and precocious puberty: from the nose to the pituitary
- Short Communication
- Experience with intramuscular glucagon for infants with early neonatal hypoglycemia
- Case Reports
- A novel GATA6 variant in a boy with neonatal diabetes and diaphragmatic hernia: a familial case with a review of the literature
- Nephrogenic diabetes insipidus in a 15-year-old Hispanic female with a novel AQP2 mutation
- Pediatric stroke as the presenting symptom of new-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus without DKA: case report and literature review
- Panhypopituitarism from neurosarcoidosis in an adolescent: case report and literature review
