Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Successful reproduction relies on integration of sensory cues of attraction with corresponding emotions and behaviours. However, the intrinsic factors integrating these fundamental aspects of human attraction with limbic and reproductive pathways have not been fully identified. Kisspeptin is a crucial activator of the reproductive axis and together with its receptor is widely expressed throughout the limbic and olfactory systems in humans suggesting a potential rol...

Background: Obesity is a major medical health problem. Human brown adipose tissue (BAT) is potently activated by cold exposure and is a potential novel anti-obesity target. The current gold standard for measuring BAT activity in humans is 18F-FDG PET/CT. However it has two major limitations – exposure to ionizing radiation and high cost. Since BAT is a thermogenic organ located in the supraclavicular and neck regions, we hypothesised that an increase in tempera...

Background: Obesity is a global health concern. Elevating energy expenditure (EE) would be a highly effective treatment approach to treat obesity but no current drugs can safely achieve this. Cold exposure potently increases EE through brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis in humans. Glucagon elevates EE via BAT in rodents but the mechanism in humans is unknown. We investigated for the first time the mechanism by which glucagon increases EE in humans....

Background: Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) is associated with dysfunctional brain activation in regions governing sexual responses, resulting in a deficiency/absence of sexual desire with marked distress. It affects up to 8% of men with detrimental effects on quality of life, interpersonal relationships and fertility, but so far has no licensed treatment options. The reproductive neuropeptide kisspeptin offers a putative therapeutic target owing to its emerging role ...

Introduction: Sexual desire is a key component of the sexual response model. Absence or deficiency of sexual desire can lead to marked distress or interpersonal difficulty, termed ‘hypoactive sexual desire disorder’ (HSDD). HSDD is the most common female sexual health complaint worldwide, affecting up to 10% of women. Despite its detrimental impact on psychological well-being and quality of life, treatment options are currently limited. The hormone kisspeptin is a ke...

The physiological post-prandial release of the gut hormones PYY and GLP-1 is implicated in triggering CNS mechanisms underlying satiety. However, the combined effects of PYY and GLP-1 on brain circuits underlying satiety in humans remain unknown.Objective: To determine changes in CNS neuronal activity following single and combined infusions of PYY and GLP-1, using blood oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD fMRI) in human vol...

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is a persistent lack of sexual desire, causing marked interpersonal distress. It is the most common global female sexual health problem, although the precise pathophysiology remains uncertain. Existing treatment options are limited by their efficacy and side effects. The neuropeptide kisspeptin offers a potential therapeutic target given its emerging role in modulating reproductive behaviour. Using a combination of psychometric, neuroim...

Kisspeptin is a crucial activator of reproductive function, playing a critical role in the hypothalamus to activate GnRH neurons and downstream reproductive hormones. However, kisspeptin and its receptor are also expressed in other brain areas, yet little is known about their function here. The limbic system plays a key role in sexual and emotional behaviours and has a high expression of kisspeptin receptors. We therefore hypothesised that kisspeptin administration may modulat...

Background: Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) is associated with a deficiency of sexual desire with marked distress. It affects up to 8% of men, but has no licensed treatments. The reproductive neuropeptide kisspeptin offers a putative therapeutic target owing to its emerging role in modulating reproductive behaviour in animal models and healthy men. However, there are no studies examining its effects in HSDD. To address this, we performed the first clinical study of ki...