Aleisha Moore
Kent State University at Kent, OH·Neuroscience
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a leading cause of female infertility worldwide. Doctors diagnose it from ovarian signs such as cysts, irregular or missing menstrual cycles, and high levels of male-type hormones (androgens).
- Fields
Neuroscience
Physiology
Biology
- Topics
polycystic ovary syndrome
KNDy neurons
kisspeptin
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through May 2029
What they work on
- Test whether estradiol and progesterone fail to suppress KNDy neuron activity in prenatally androgenized PCOS model mice, using in vivo calcium imaging of individual neurons in freely behaving animals alongside LH pulse measurements.
- Identify where the lost GABAergic (inhibitory) inputs to KNDy neurons come from in PCOS model mice, using retrograde monosynaptic rabies tracing, which labels the neurons wired directly onto a target cell.
- Determine how GABAergic inputs shape KNDy cell activity in fertile mice by switching their axon terminals on or off with light (optogenetics) while imaging KNDy calcium activity.
- Test whether chronic chemogenetic inhibition of KNDy neurons, using an engineered receptor activated by a drug, corrects GnRH/LH pulse problems and restores fertility in PNA mice.
More about the research
Yet changes in the brain also play a significant role in how the syndrome develops. Normally, the brain releases reproductive hormones in regular pulses, and hormones made by the ovary feed back to slow those pulses. In PCOS, this feedback brake fails, and the pulses run too fast. Which brain cells lose their response to the brake is still unknown.
Why it matters
PCOS affects up to 13% of women of reproductive age globally, and it is a leading cause of infertility. Clinical studies are already testing drugs that block the neurokinin B receptor to calm KNDy cell activity in patients. By pinpointing which brain circuits go wrong, this work may help guide treatments and preventive measures aimed at the brain-based causes of PCOS.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Martha E Bickford
University of Louisville, KY·Neuroscience
Identify the retinal cells and other brain regions that feed two pretectal pathways, using monosynaptic rabies tracing with the calcium sensor GCaMP, two-photon imaging, electron microscopy and optogenetic slice recordings.
Paolo Forni
University at Albany, NY·Neuroscience
Trace terminal nerve development in mice with genetic labeling and imaging to test whether GnRH-1 neurons migrate to the hypothalamus along this nerve and whether it is needed to form the olfactory bulbs.
Giuseppe Giannotti
Washington State University, WA·Neuroscience·Early-career
Track the real-time activity of PVT neurons tagged with TRAP during spontaneous versus naloxone-precipitated withdrawal, using in vivo calcium imaging while rodents respond to heroin-linked cues.
The school
Kent State University at Kent: 6 labs on PI Pages, $61M a year on research, 162 research doctorates a year.
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