Energy deficiency rapidly suppresses reproductive function, yet the circuit mechanisms linking metabolic state to the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse generator remain incompletely understood. Female mice subjected to 14 days of CR (70% baseline intake) exhibited modest weight loss, rapid estrous cycle arrest, persistent diestrus, reduced uterine weight, and decreased corpora lutea number, indicating profound suppression of reproductive function. Whole-cell recordings from hypothalamic arcuate nucleus kisspeptin/neurokinin B/dynorphin (KNDy) neurons revealed that CR significantly reduced intrinsic excitability and induced membrane hyperpolarization.
