{"616173":{"#nid":"616173","#data":{"type":"event","title":"Regulation and Function of Kisspeptin Neurons: Lessons from Mouse Models","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EShannon Stephens\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nSchool of Medicine\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nUniversity of California, San Diego\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EABSTRACT\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nReproduction is comprised of many complex behavioral and physiological processes. My research examines how the brain controls reproductive physiology and behavior, focusing on the role of kisspeptin in regulating reproduction. Kisspeptin, encoded by \u003Cem\u003EKiss1\u003C\/em\u003E, is a potent stimulator of the reproductive axis and humans and mice with mutations in \u003Cem\u003EKiss1\u003C\/em\u003E or its receptor, \u003Cem\u003EKiss1r\u003C\/em\u003E, have severe deficits in puberty onset, gonadal sex steroid hormone production, and fertility. Thus, kisspeptin is required for reproduction. Despite much research, the mechanisms regulating \u003Cem\u003EKiss1\u003C\/em\u003E neurons and the reproductive axis have yet to be fully characterized. My early postdoctoral research examined the regulation and function of hypothalamic \u003Cem\u003EKiss1\u003C\/em\u003E neurons, demonstrating that progesterone acts directly on kisspeptin neurons to regulate female fertility. My research also showed that treatment with corticosterone, a stress hormone, impaired female fertility and this was likely the result of reduced hypothalamic \u003Cem\u003EKiss1\u003C\/em\u003E expression and \u003Cem\u003EKiss1\u003C\/em\u003E neuronal activation in corticosterone-treated females. \u003Cem\u003EKiss1\u003C\/em\u003E neurons are located primarily within the hypothalamus but are also detected in other brain areas, such as the medial amygdala (MeA). However, virtually nothing is known about the regulation and function of \u003Cem\u003EKiss1\u003C\/em\u003E neurons in the MeA, which is the focus of my ongoing and future research. The amygdala is implicated in regulating reproduction, as well numerous other behavioral and physiological events such as stress, anxiety, and social behavior. Understanding the regulation and function of \u003Cem\u003EKiss1\u003C\/em\u003E neurons in the MeA may provide valuable insight regarding how the amygdala modulates reproductive hormones and how amygdala-dependent behaviors, such as stress, can alter reproduction.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A Biological Sciences Seminar by Shannon Stephens, Ph.D."}],"uid":"27964","created_gmt":"2019-01-09 20:34:49","changed_gmt":"2019-01-28 21:35:29","author":"Jasmine Martin","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2019-01-30T11:00:00-05:00","event_time_end":"2019-01-30T11:00:00-05:00","event_time_end_last":"2019-01-30T11:00:00-05:00","gmt_time_start":"2019-01-30 16:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2019-01-30 16:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2019-01-30 16:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"616595":{"id":"616595","type":"image","title":"Shannon Stephens","body":null,"created":"1547762918","gmt_created":"2019-01-17 22:08:38","changed":"1547762918","gmt_changed":"2019-01-17 22:08:38","alt":"","file":{"fid":"234686","name":"Stephens_Shannon.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stephens_Shannon.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Stephens_Shannon.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":669251,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Stephens_Shannon.jpg?itok=m8zrffXX"}}},"media_ids":["616595"],"groups":[{"id":"1275","name":"School of Biological Sciences"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"180123","name":"Shannon Stephens"},{"id":"71271","name":"Patrick McGrath"},{"id":"166892","name":"School of Biological Sciences Seminar"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1795","name":"Seminar\/Lecture\/Colloquium"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78761","name":"Faculty\/Staff"},{"id":"177814","name":"Postdoc"},{"id":"78771","name":"Public"},{"id":"174045","name":"Graduate students"},{"id":"78751","name":"Undergraduate students"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jasmine.martin@biosci.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EJasmine Martin\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}