Speaker: Dr. Ishwar Parhar Time: Jun 25, 2012, 9:00 Place: Administration Building, Room 205 Speaker Brief Introduction: Ishwar Parhar, Ph.D., Professor DIRECTOR, Brain Research Institute HEAD of Neuroscience Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Science Monash University, Sunway Campus, Malaysia Email:ishwar@monsh.edu SPEAKER PROFILE Professor Ishwar graduated with a M.BMed (Hons) degree from Panjab University India, Ph.D from the National University of Singapore and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Rockefeller University, New York, USA. Prior to joining Monash University, as Professor and Head of Neuroscience and Founding Director of Brain Research Institute, Professor Ishwar was at Nippon Medical School, Tokyo from 1993-2005. ABSTRACT The reproductive neuroendocrine system is controlled by the hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. In humans, developmental defects of GnRH neurons results in hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism coupled with anosmia (Kallmann's syndrome). In recent years, the emergence of kisspeptin and gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone have led to a significant revision of our understanding as to how reproductive disorders and social behaviours are controlled by these novel RFamides and their cognate receptors.