Researchers from Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences and Japan’s National Institute of Physiological Sciences have demonstrated how a specific type of neuron in the brain influences the release of hormones that control ovarian function in females, such as follicular development and ovulation. These discoveries, published in the journal Scientific Reports, could help researchers better understand and treat reproductive diseases in both animals and humans.
Kisspeptin neurons in the brain regulate the release of hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone/luteinizing hormone (LH). This process is important for reproduction, as pituitary hormones stimulate the ovaries to perform their reproductive functions. Examples include follicular development and ovulation in all mammals, including humans.
There are two main areas of the brain involved in the process: the arcuate nucleus (ARC), in which kisspeptin neurons maintain the regular rhythmic (pulsatile) secretion of GnRH/LH that maintains normal follicular development and sex steroid production; and the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV), in which kisspeptin neurons trigger a surge of GnRH/LH that leads to ovulation.