Estrous Cycle and Egg Release Resets with Light Entrainment Inspired by Neurodynamics in the Circadian Pacemaker

Abstract

Jet lag, shift work, and the extended light hours of modern life disrupt the regular light-dark cycle, affecting the menstrual cycle and decreasing fertility. The circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), is known to modulate ovulation, but the exact mechanism is not understood. Here we explore this connection by imaging neuronal activity in freely-behaving mice following extrinsic (jet lag) and intrinsic circadian circuit perturbations. We show that retina-connected vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-expressing neurons in the SCN directly relay light information to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-expressing neurons to gate ovulation, as measured by recording calcium-sensitive activity of SCNVIP neurons over days in freely behaving mice. We show with machine-learning-based discriminations that the neuronal light-synchronized activity is primarily sex-dependent, and estrous-dependent in the late afternoon. Consistent with such a light-driven switch, we find that a pulse of light in this critical period could rescue estrous cycle regularity and the number of eggs released by animals kept in limited-light conditions. Our in vivo approach thus reveals the dynamic mechanism by which SCNVIP neurons trigger ovulation and demonstrates light-induced rescue of fertility, a finding with potential therapeutic implications for humans struggling with infertility due to shift work or jet lag.