The Headline:
Scientists have found “a ‘Kevin and Perry’ hormone that turns angelic children into foul-tempered teenagers”, the Daily Mail reported. It said a study has found that the hormone, neurokinin B, causes the hormonal surge in adolescence. The paper suggested that understanding the hormone better could lead to new contraceptives and treatments for sex hormone-fuelled diseases such as prostate cancer.
NHS Choices says that:
This study illustrates the potential of genome-wide SNP analysis in identifying the underlying mutation defects of a hereditary disease and in finding their precise location in the genetic code. Exactly how these genes affect the central control of reproduction remains to be established.
This research is at a very early stage. If there are any practical applications to come from it, such as new forms of contraception or treatments for diseases related to sex hormones such as prostate and breast cancer, they are still many years away.
Links to the Headlines:
Kevin the Teenager created by a single hormone, scientists find. The Daily Telegraph, December 12 2008
Found: The 'Kevin and Perry' hormone that makes teens unbearable. Daily Mail, December 12 2008
Links to the Science:
Topaloglu AK, Reimann F, Guclu M, et al. TAC3 and TACR3 mutations in familial hypogonadotropic hypogonadism reveal a key role for Neurokinin B in the central control of reproduction. Nature Genetics 2008; published online December 11 2008
