KSU Biological Sciences Seminar -Interactions between the circadian and neuroendocrine systems in female reproductive health and offspring development

Interactions between the circadian and neuroendocrine systems in female reproductive health and offspring development

Speaker: Lance Kriegsfeld, PhD, UC Berkeley

Successful female reproduction requires the precise, temporal coordination of numerous neural and hormonal events over several timescales.  Converging lines of evidence implicate a critical role for circadian timing in female reproductive health across mammalian species, including humans. More specifically, ovulation, fertilization, pregnancy maintenance, and fetal development each require specific temporal patterns of hormone secretion regulated by the circadian timing system. The negative consequences of chronic circadian disruption for female reproductive health are underscored in studies investigating women or animals with marked circadian deficits. Women with rotating work schedules, for example, experience irregular menstrual cycles, reduced fertility, and increased miscarriage rates. In rodents, destruction of the master circadian clock in the brain, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), its neural output, or the genes regulating cellular clock function lead to pronounced deficits in fecundity.  Our work examines the neural pathways and neuroendocrine mechanisms by which the circadian timing system coordinates hormonal events to maximize female reproductive success and healthy offspring development. 

Contact: Email dcostel3@kent.edu for link and/or to be added to the BSCI seminar mailing list

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