New Frontiers in Reproductive Neuroendocrinology: Neural Circuits and Neuroendocrine Mechanisms

Reproductive neuroendocrinology has undergone remarkable advances over the past two decades, driven by the discovery of kisspeptin neurons, as well as significant progress in molecular genetics, imaging technologies, and neural circuit analysis. The discovery has transformed our understanding of how the brain regulates puberty, fertility, reproductive cyclicity, pregnancy, and reproductive aging. More recently, attention has expanded beyond classical neuroendocrine pathways to include interactions with glial cells, immune signaling, metabolic cues, stress pathways, and peripheral organs, highlighting reproduction as a highly integrated physiological system.

Despite these advances, important questions remain regarding how diverse neural circuits communicate, how environmental and physiological challenges reshape reproductive function, and how these mechanisms contribute to reproductive disorders. Addressing these questions requires multidisciplinary approaches that bridge neuroscience, endocrinology, physiology, immunology, metabolism, developmental biology, and systems biology.

This Research Topic was conceived following the symposium: New discoveries in reproductive neuroendocrinology at the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology (ICN) 2026. Building upon the stimulating scientific discussions and recent advances presented during the meeting, this collection aims to provide a comprehensive platform for emerging concepts, innovative technologies, and interdisciplinary perspectives that are redefining reproductive neuroendocrinology. We welcome contributions from both symposium participants and the broader scientific community.

We welcome studies that investigate the neural circuits, cellular interactions, molecular signaling pathways, and physiological mechanisms underlying reproductive function across developmental stages and physiological conditions.

Particular emphasis will be placed on studies revealing novel communication pathways between neurons and non-neuronal cells—including glia, immune cells, and other emerging cellular players—as well as interactions between the reproductive axis and metabolic, inflammatory, circadian, or stress-related signals. We also encourage contributions employing state-of-the-art methodologies—including single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, advanced in vivo imaging, optogenetics, chemogenetics, viral tracing, computational modeling, and integrative multi-omics—to uncover fundamental mechanisms regulating reproductive function.

By bringing together basic, translational, and comparative studies spanning diverse animal models and humans, this Research Topic seeks to stimulate interdisciplinary collaboration, identify emerging research directions, and advance our understanding of the neural regulation of reproduction in both health and disease.

This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, addressing, but not limited to, the following topics:

- Neural circuits regulating reproductive function
- GnRH, GnIH, kisspeptin, KNDy, and other hypothalamic neuronal populations
- Neuro-glial, neuroimmune, and neuron–non-neuronal interactions in reproduction
- Neuroendocrine regulation of puberty, fertility, pregnancy, lactation, and reproductive aging
- Metabolic, inflammatory, circadian, and stress regulation of the reproductive axis
- Developmental and sex-specific mechanisms underlying reproductive neuroendocrine function
- Comparative and evolutionary reproductive neuroendocrinology
- Emerging technologies for studying reproductive neural circuits, including single-cell and spatial omics, advanced imaging, viral tracing, and computational approaches–assisted analyses
- Translational studies relevant to reproductive disorders and infertility

We particularly encourage submissions that integrate multiple experimental approaches, combine complementary methodologies, or provide novel conceptual frameworks that advance the field of reproductive neuroendocrinology