SOCIAL ORGANIZATION AND HELPING BEHAVIOR IN GROUP-HOUSED MICE

Prosocial behavior, such as resource sharing, helping or rescue behavior, has been demonstrated in mice under controlled experimental conditions, yet it has been studied predominantly in dyads of single or pair-housed animals. This focus limits our understanding of how prosocial behavior relates to social organization, individual differences, and ongoing interactions in more naturalistic group settings. To address this gap, we investigate helping behavior embedded within the social dynamics of stable mouse groups.

We longitudinally observe same-sex groups of ten mice, composed of both sibling and non-sibling individuals, housed in a large, enriched environment. During the central phase of observation, a rescue task is set on six consecutive days, wherein a group member is placed in a cold-water container, allowing other group members to interact with and learn to open a door to release the victim.

Individual animals are tracked and subsequently identified on video, enabling the automated extraction of spatial, individual, joint, and social behavioral measures across the entire observation period. Alongside behavior classification and helping-related measures, we quantify dominance interactions, proximity patterns, co-activity in specific contexts, and determine temporal stability of these behaviors.

Our analyses indicate that some behavioral measures exhibit stable individual differences over time, while aspects of social interaction show structured but context-dependent organization at the group level, with pronounced effects of kinship and, particularly in male groups, dominance. Finally, we discuss underlying social structure, individual differences, and assess how helping behavior relates to these dimensions in a longitudinal, group-based framework.