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Are tanycytes a source of new hypothalamic neurons after major reproductive milestones?

Dr. Joseph Bedont (Biological Sciences, Â鶹¾«Ñ¡)

Take a moment to think back upon some of the fondest intimate moments of your life. The first crush. The first kiss. The birth of a first child. There is an intuitive understanding in these moments that we will never be quite the same afterward. And as a mounting body of evidence suggests, this is physically true for the brain. Newborn neurons have previously been detected in association with adult reproductive milestones in the hypothalamus, a brain region closely associated with the regulation of reproduction. But the source of these neurons has largely not been explored. In this pilot project, we will genetically label a neural progenitor cell population known as tanycytes in the mouse hypothalamus, labeling both tanycytes and any newborn neurons produced from this source. Then, we will determine whether first-mating and/or first-childbirth reproductive milestones drive increased production of new hypothalamic neurons specifically from tanycytes. This will give insight into the origins of plasticity underlying changes in the hypothalamus triggered by adult reproductive behavior, and if successful will provide a tool for future studies of how new neurons generated after these events may be involved in changes in physiology and behavior resulting from sexual experience.