This study reveals a rapid regulatory mechanism in which AgRP neurons dynamically adjust reproductive timing in response to fluctuating food availability. How this "food-to-reproduction" circuit operates beyond the context of puberty remains an open question. (9/N

Conversely, partial ablation of AgRP neurons significantly increased kisspeptin pulsatility even under caloric restriction, allowing partial ovarian maturation. These findings establish AgRP neurons as key inhibitors of kisspeptin pulses, acting as a brake on puberty onset. (8/N

We then turned to AgRP neurons, key hunger sensors in the arcuate nucleus. AgRP neurons are known to be activated by fasting and rapidly suppressed by food availability. We found that artificially activating AgRP neurons blocked the surge in kisspeptin pulses even after refeeding (A, B). (6/N

Food scarcity is known to delay puberty, but how kisspeptin neurons sense metabolic status remains unclear. We found that under a mild caloric restriction suppressing puberty, low-frequency kisspeptin pulses persist. Once food availability was restored, pulsatile activity surged within hours. (5/N

Between P24 and P30, sharp peaks of pulsatile activity in kisspeptin neurons appeared. This activity preceded vaginal opening—the first visible sign of puberty—and increased in frequency with age. This provides definitive evidence that kisspeptin neuron pulses emerge before puberty onset. (4/N

If you are interested in organ sensation and organ neural control, this is the place to be! The 11th NSN in Kobe symposium will be held on February 21 at the Kobe University School of Medicine campus (and zoom). It is free but registration is required. Please come and join us!

Thanks for the many citations this year🥰 The TRAP paper is experiencing a breakthrough over ten years after its publication!
Since transcriptome types and active neurons don’t always correlate in many cases, I anticipate that methods like this will continue to be useful😄

The number of active neurons decreased, and the pulse amplitude of each neuron narrowed, returning to a basal state. These changes suggest a mechanism by which oxytocin secretion increases during the period of heightened milk demand by pups. 6/

Upon glucose deprivation, Oxtr-positive sympathetic neurons (the adrenal route) are activated (expressing cFos), whereas Cartpt-positive neurons (the intestinal route) showed minimal activation. 9/

As a proof of principle to validate organ-specific regulation, we show that activation of Cartpt-positive sympathetic neurons slows intestinal transit time, while activation of Oxtr-positive ones increases blood glocose levels. 8/

This figure is a personal favorite. While Oxtr-positive and Cartpt-positive sympathetic neurons are intermingled within the lower thoracic spinal cord, their axons segregate beautifully according to their targets! 7/