| Grant number: | 17/01571-2 |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation |
| Start date: | May 01, 2017 |
| End date: | December 31, 2017 |
| Field of knowledge: | Biological Sciences - Biology |
| Principal Investigator: | Fabio Papes |
| Grantee: | Pedro de Gusmão Ribeiro |
| Host Institution: | Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil |
Abstract The olfactory system controls a series of endocrine and behavioral changes in mammals, including humans. It is known that female fertility is controlled by hormones produced in areas of the brain closely related to the olfactory system, including gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH)-producing neurons. However, the mechanisms by which olfaction and chemical information detected by the organism are able to control fertility are not known. Results published by other groups indicate that certain social context conditions (eg grouping females in the same environment) are capable of generating changes in the reproductive cycle in rodents, especially in the estrous cycle, reducing their fertility. Our central hypothesis is that the olfactory system has specialized cells that detect female pheromones produced in specific social contexts, leading to the activation or inhibition of GnRH-positive neurons and consequently to fertility modulation. This hypothesis will be objectively tested in experiments in which females will be exposed to different social contexts (grouping in different population sizes) followed by the investigation of fertility parameters, as well as the activation of olfactory organs and GnRH-producing neurons in the brain. This project will contribute to the understanding of how olfaction controls female fertility and how the social environment influences sex and reproduction, a subject of great relevance to human society. In addition, understanding how fertility is modulated by the sensory systems may reveal how organisms detect environmental information to regulate reproduction and population size in a controlled manner, an obviously adaptive character. (AU) | |
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