Affiche_30-04-2026-Rajae Talbi

You are cordially invited to the scientific conferences of the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology.

Date : Thursday April 30th 2026 à 9 h

Location : Pavillon Paul-G. Desmarais Pavilion, room 1120.

Conférencière : Pf. Rajae Talbi

Assistant Professor

Département de pharmacologie et Physiologie

Université de Montréal

Kiss and Tell: How Metabolic Signals Shape Fertility Circuits

Reproductive function and metabolic state are tightly intertwined, yet the neural mechanisms coordinating these processes remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will present recent work investigating the bidirectional interactions between reproduction and metabolism at the level of hypothalamic neural circuits. First, I will discuss how metabolic signals regulate female reproductive function through direct actions on hypothalamic Kiss1 neurons, central regulators of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion. Using genetic and circuit-level approaches, we identify melanocortin signaling, via the melanocortin-4-receptor, as a key modulator of distinct Kiss1 neuronal subpopulations to coordinate pulsatile GnRH release and the preovulatory luteinizing hormone surge. I will then shift focus to how reproductive circuits feed back onto metabolic control, presenting evidence that arcuate Kiss1 neurons regulate energy expenditure and thermogenesis through glutamatergic projections to downstream hypothalamic pathways. Together, these findings position Kiss1 neurons as integrative hub linking reproductive and metabolic physiology, highlighting neural mechanisms that coordinate these two fundamental biological functions.

Guest of : Pf. Najmanovich

Made possible by our platinum partners:

and gold :

Teachers who would like to meet the speaker after the session are asked to contact : Pf. Badhwar ; Pf. Najmanovich ; Pf. Raynal

We’re waiting for you with good coffee!!!

Viennese pastries will be offered to the first 25 people to arrive!

Don’t forget to bring your own coffee cups