Estrogen genomic and membrane actions at an intersection.

Estradiol is a primary hormonal signal that synchronizes central neuronal activity changes during the female reproductive cycle. The cellular and molecular mechanisms for many of these changes are still not well understood. Exciting new findings of Roepke and colleagues indicate that estradiol regulates expression of key potassium channels as well as modulatory intracellular signaling molecules. This regulation might contribute to region-specific changes in neuronal excitability in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and to the integration of neuronal responses that influence homeostatic functions.