Otago researchers have identified a surprising new pathway within the brain’s network of neurons that could provide insights into the leading cause of female infertility in New Zealand and the world: polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Dr Rebecca Campbell from the University of Otago, Dunedin, has just received a project grant worth more than $900,000 from the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) to carry out a series of studies to characterise the role of this new neuronal pathway in the regulation of fertility.
Dr Campbell is one of 33 researchers to receive a combined total of more than $34.5 million in project funding in the HRC’s 2015 funding round.
The neuroendocrine control of fertility depends on a small population of brain cells known as gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. Dr Campbell says a recent study in her team’s laboratory has revealed a completely unexpected brain pathway within the GnRH neuronal network that might underpin the neuroendocrine abnormalities of PCOS.
“Understanding this circuit will advance our understanding of the central regulation of fertility and generate novel insights into the aetiology of PCOS, the most common endocrine disorder seen in the clinic,” says Dr Campbell.
Nearly one in 10 New Zealand women have PCOS, and it’s estimated to affect more than 100 million women worldwide. It’s often associated with irregular periods, increased hair growth or acne or raised levels of male hormones, and polycystic ovaries.
HRC Chief Executive Professor Kathryn McPherson says reproductive health is an important global health issue.
“According to the World Health Organization, the overall burden of subfertility and infertility is significant and likely underestimated1. In addition to infertility, women with PCOS are at an increased risk of chronic health problems, including diabetes, raised blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and cancer of the womb,” says Professor McPherson.
“This research project, which will use some of the most advanced technical approaches in neuroscience, aligns with many of the government’s goals, including improving sexual and reproductive health, and reducing the incidence and impact of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.”
Professor McPherson says that a recent survey shows that paediatrics and reproductive medicine is one of a number of fields where HRC-funded researchers’ published articles achieved double the world average for scientific influence2, demonstrating the depth of expertise in this area.
The full list of all the successful HRC project recipients is available at the HRC's funding recipients page. A spreadsheet detailing 2015 funding round contracts - salary overheads and expenses - is also available here (XLSX 150kb).
1 World Health Organization. Sexual and reproductive health. Retrieved from www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/infertility/perspective/en (25 May 2015)
2 www.hrc.govt.nz/hrc-bibliometric-study-2014