Neural Control of Female Reproduction
Neural Control of Female Reproduction
Collections: Now On Display, Image Award Winners
Award Winner
Seong-Jin Kim, Sara Prescott
Koch Institute at MIT
How does the body know when to begin, maintain, and end its reproductive life? This image highlights the complexity of female reproductive anatomy and its integration with surrounding nerves and fat. Dense neuronal networks (green) span the tract, sensory fibers (magenta) course alongside them, and lipid-rich fat (red) envelops the organs. While reproduction is classically understood as hormonally regulated, this spatial organization suggests peripheral nerves may relay local metabolic or tissue-derived signals to influence reproductive physiology.
