title: Multiple-scale neuroendocrine signals connect brain and pituitary hormone rhythms.
abstract: Small assemblies of hypothalamic "parvocellular" neurons release their neuroendocrine signals at the median eminence (ME) to control long-lasting pituitary hormone rhythms essential for homeostasis. How such rapid hypothalamic neurotransmission leads to slowly evolving hormonal signals remains unknown. Here, we show that the temporal organization of dopamine (DA) release events in freely behaving animals relies on a set of characteristic features that are adapted to the dynamic dopaminergic control of pituitary prolactin secretion, a key reproductive hormone. First, locally generated DA release signals are organized over more than four orders of magnitude (0.001 Hz-10 Hz). Second, these DA events are finely tuned within and between frequency domains as building blocks that recur over days to weeks. Third, an integration time window is detected across the ME and consists of high-frequency DA discharges that are coordinated within the minutes range. Thus, a hierarchical combination of time-scaled neuroendocrine signals displays local-global integration to connect brain-pituitary rhythms and pace hormone secretion.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Genomics (IGF), CNRS, INSERM, University of Montpellier, F-34094 Montpellier, France; Patrice.Mollard@igf.cnrs.fr nicola.romano@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Romanò
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Genomics (IGF), CNRS, INSERM, University of Montpellier, F-34094 Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guillou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research and Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston B15 2TT, United Kingdom.|Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham B15 2TH, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: David J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8641-8568
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hodson
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Genomics (IGF), CNRS, INSERM, University of Montpellier, F-34094 Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Agnès O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Genomics (IGF), CNRS, INSERM, University of Montpellier, F-34094 Montpellier, France; Patrice.Mollard@igf.cnrs.fr nicola.romano@ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mollard
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000502:physiology; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D005260:Female; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000502:physiology*; D008473:Median Eminence / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008839:Microelectrodes; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000502:physiology*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology*; D011388:Prolactin / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071218:Ultradian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D011388:Prolactin
keywords: dopamine; hypothalamus; neuronal networks; prolactin; rhythms