Lay summary
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent and poorly understood disorder, characterised by high circulating levels of 'male-typical' androgen hormones and infertility. There is a desperate need to better understand this personally and economically costly disorder to identify therapeutic targets. We propose to use the latest generation of intersectional transgenic tools in a well-characterised preclinical model of PCOS to hone in on the key androgen targets in the brain that mediate reproductive dysfunction and to determine the causal mechanisms involved. We will also investigate the impact of clinically relevant anti-androgen therapies on the specific brain mechanisms associated with PCOS pathology. This work will provide valuable new knowledge on the forefront of biomedical research aimed at understanding PCOS pathogenesis and treatment and steroid hormone signalling in the female brain.