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REVIEW article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Sleep and Circadian Rhythms
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1516767
This article is part of the Research Topic Signaling Pathways and Brain Circuitry Underlying Circadian Rhythms and Sleep View all 6 articles

Frontiers in Neuroscience-Sleep and Circadian Rhythms A Time for Sex: Circadian Regulation of Mammalian Sexual and Reproductive Function

Provisionally accepted
Sydney Aten Sydney Aten 1*Oscar Daniel Ramirez-Plascencia Oscar Daniel Ramirez-Plascencia 1Chiara Blake Chiara Blake 1,2Gabriel Holder Gabriel Holder 1,2Emma Fishbein Emma Fishbein 1,3Adam Vieth Adam Vieth 1,2Arman Zarghani-Shiraz Arman Zarghani-Shiraz 1,4Evan Keister Evan Keister 1,2Shivani Howe Shivani Howe 1,2Ashley Appo Ashley Appo 1,2Beatrice Palmer Beatrice Palmer 1Carrie E Mahoney Carrie E Mahoney 1*
  • 1 Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
  • 2 Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  • 3 Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts, United States
  • 4 Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The circadian clock regulates physiological and biochemical processes in nearly every species. Sexual and reproductive behaviors are two processes controlled by the circadian timing system. Evidence supporting the importance of proper clock function on fertility comes from several lines of work demonstrating that misalignment of biological rhythms or disrupted function of the body's master clock, such as occurs from repeated shift work or chronic jet lag, negatively impacts reproduction by interfering with both male and female fertility. Along these lines, dysregulation of clock genes leads to impairments in fertility within mammals, and disruption of circadian clock timing negatively impacts sex hormone levels and semen quality in males, and it leads to ovulatory deficiencies in females. Here, we review the current understanding of the circadian modulation of both male and female reproductive hormones-from animal models to humans. Further, we discuss neural circuits within the hypothalamus that may regulate circadian changes in mammalian sexual behavior and reproduction, and we explore how knowledge of such circuits in animal models may help to improve human sexual function, fertility, and reproduction.

    Keywords: circadian, Sex, Reproduction, mammalian, clock timing, Fertility, Hypothalamus, Hormones

    Received: 24 Oct 2024; Accepted: 09 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Aten, Ramirez-Plascencia, Blake, Holder, Fishbein, Vieth, Zarghani-Shiraz, Keister, Howe, Appo, Palmer and Mahoney. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Sydney Aten, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States
    Carrie E Mahoney, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.