Reproduction is regulated by the central nervous system via GnRH neurons, which form the final common pathway that integrates inputs and releases GnRH to regulate the anterior pituitary’s production of gonadotropins. Stress can alter reproduction at many levels, especially inhibiting the action of GnRH neurons.
A new study published in Endocrinology by Jeff Phumsatitpong (a graduate from the PhD in Molecular & Integrative Physiology Program) and Suzanne M. Moenter (Fred J. Karsch Collegiate Professor of Physiology) suggest that corticotropin-releasing hormone CRH increases GnRH neuron activity in an estradiol-dependent manner in part by activating GABAergic afferents.