Social interaction

Oxytocin (OXT), a 9-amino acid neuropeptide, plays a critical role in mammal’s social interaction and cognition. Previously, human and animal studies have revealed that intranasal OXT administration may enhance social preferences. However, it is unclear whether age may affect such social preferences by using airborne OXT. Here, we established an OXT preference test in a 40*41 cm rectangle arena (chamber), wherein two plastic tubes harboring OXT-impregnated cotton-tip were in two arena side-sharing corners, and two plastic tubes harboring vehicle-impregnated cotton-tip were in the other. OXT zo

Schizophrenia is a major disabling psychiatric disease, significantly impacts patients' social functioning. The lateral septum (LS), a brain region connecting the cortex to the hypothalamus and crucial for regulating affect and social behaviors, is implicated in schizophrenia. We hypothesized that specific populations of LS neurons regulating social interactions are dysregulated during schizophrenia and leveraged the Df(16)A+/- mouse model of schizophrenia to test our hypothesis. This model contains the human 22q11 microdeletion, which in humans, confers a 30% probability to develop schizophre

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a great challenge for psychiatry with up to 40% of treatment-resistant patients. Therefore, non-pharmacological interventions such as different diets seem a promising tool. Ketogenic diet (KD) is a powerful tool for epilepsy and metabolic diseases while new clinical and animal studies show also its potential against mental disorders such as MDD, bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. Several neurobiological pathways have been suggested to mediate effect of KD for the brain and mental health with neurotrophic and neuroplasticity factor BDNF among them. Therefore

Several anxiety-related neuropsychiatric disorders are associated with amygdala dysfunction during early periods of postnatal development, and adolescence is a particularly vulnerable emotional period. Among the cellular mechanisms involved in changes in the activity of individual neurons and their synaptic connections, the mTOR signaling pathway has been proposed as a molecular regulator of emotional memories and could thus constitute a common mechanistic source of the emergence of anxiety symptoms in these disorders. We hypothesize that amygdala mTOR dysfunction during infancy can initiate a

…study was to evaluate the impact of social distancing starting at PND28 (SD - two mice per cage separated by a wall with holes) on the willingness to exert effort during adulthood in an operant procedure. In this task, mice of both sexes were trained in different schedules that

…motor control in the domain of social interaction remain poorly understood, especially at single cell or population level. Our previous studies demonstrated that both monkeys and humans adapt their behaviour when acting in a dyadic context, and that macaques, as humans, leverage on a “we-representation”, suggesting phylogenetically preserved neural processes. At neural level, we showed in macaque dorsal premotor (PMd/F2) cortex the existence of a population of cells, preferentia

Direct physical interaction is an essential aspect of social interaction in various mammal species. Restricting such interaction in mice lead to the observation of specific separation-induced social communication.Here, we separated sex- and age-matched mice from each other using a transparent Plexiglas divider containing a porous section at its bottom. Following this separation phase, the divider was removed, and mice were allowed to freely interact with one another. During both the separation and unification phases audio and video were recorded. Separated mice emitted a set of vocalizations d

Impaired social interaction is a core dimension of developmental disorders, including Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). The mouse model of FXS displays abnormal sociability and our research shows that maternal Fmr1 deficiency is sufficient to induce this phenotype. Specifically, maternal Fmr1 haploinsufficiency induces hypersociability in her wild-type (WT) male offspring, indicating developmental sensitivity to maternal FMRP levels. Oxytocin (OXT) release in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) mediates dopamine neuron activity, whose projections to the nucleus accumbens bidirectionally modulate duration

Behavioural states like anxiety, preference selection, and social interaction promote homeostasis and survival by facilitating effective adaptation and communication. The interstitial nucleus of posterior limb of anterior commissure, lateral (IPACL) has been suggested to play a role in regulating locomotion activation, avoidance behaviours, energy balance and processing of reward and aversive memories. However, how IPACL neurons are concurrently involved in these diverse functions remain unclear. To tackle these questions, we use deep brain Ca2+ imaging in the IPACL with miniature microscopes

…conserved midbrain locus involved in social novelty preference and anxiety control. The IPN is characterised by a high density of the nerve-growth factor (NGF) receptor, TrkA; and notably, social stress strongly promotes brain NGF synthesis. The IPN is densely innervated by the nucleus incertus (NI), a stress-sensitive region that is the primary source of the neuropeptide, relaxin-3 (RLN3). In turn, IPN innervates the ventral hippocampus (vHPC), another key locus for social behaviour and anxiety control. However, the natu

Social interaction is a fundamental pillar of our society. It has made possible extraordinary achievements such as going to the moon. In humans, a rare autosomal disease characterized by calcification of the basolateral amygdala (BLA), revealed the importance of the BLA and its connections to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in generous investments. However, the neural mechanisms underlying social interactions that lead to fruitful cooperation remain largely unknown. In this study we address the role of the prosocial neuropeptide oxytocin in neural circuits between the mPFC and the BLA invo

Aims: The aging process inevitably influences social behavior and cognition. However, a proportion of the population may resist these changes due to superaging associated with increased movement speed. Therefore, we aimed to phenotype aging animals based on their activity and determine the relationship between locomotor function and social behavior in aging rats.Methods: In 3- and 14-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats, social interaction, memory and locomotion were characterized using resident-intruder test (RIT), social recognition test (SRT) and open-field test, respectively. Animal phenotyping w

…Several studies have shown that social interaction and embodiment in learning situations can facilitate foreign language learning. Still, the literature on adults is limited, and the underlying neural underpinnings are poorly understood. Our study examines whether phonetic learning with peers is more efficient than learning individually. Thirty-four native Finnish speakers were randomly assigned to two groups: a group l

Social interaction is a core aspect of mammalian behavior, and alterations in social behaviors are found across many neurodevelopmental and psychiatric conditions. Mice display a range of socioemotional behaviors and are commonly used as models to investigate the neuronal circuits and molecular mechanisms underlying differences in social behaviors. Analyzing social interactions in mice is often done by manual quantification of videos. Although multiple methods for automated tracking have been developed, reliable tracking and automated behavioral classification of multiple freely-moving unmarke

Social withdrawal in the sub-chronic phencyclidine (PCP) rat model, a behavioral correlate of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia, is probably the most well-studied; yet, little is known about the altered psychological processes underlying this behavioral deficit. Despite the complex nature of social behavior, social interaction is indeed often simplified to a single readout parameter (e.g., total time spent in social interaction) that has limited explanatory power. Therefore, we developed a comprehensive ethogram of the social, as well as non-social (i.e., self-oriented behaviors and arena

Computational methods emerged as novel tools in the quest for our human origins (Piszczek et al., 2024). Fusing archaic genomes, human brain gene expression data, and fMRI allowed to extrapolate multi-genic selection during the 60 Mya of Anatomically Modern Humans (AMH) ancestral evolution (Kaczanowska et al., 2022). This approach reconstructed traces of adaptive selection across cognitive traits, offering a comprehensive perspective on evolutionary pressures shaping diverse cognitive functions. Here, we build on this workflow to specifically target and expand on the evolution of socio-affecti

Social buffering, the phenomenon by which the presence of others can reduce the consequences of stressful experiences, has been observed in both humans and rodents, yet the precise mechanism by which social interactions can offset the negative impact of stress remains unknown. Here, utilizing a new behavioral paradigm, we demonstrate that brief social interaction with a familiar, unstressed individual after acute restraint, is sufficient to ameliorate the stress-induced deficits in reward seeking in both male and female mice. Previous studies indicate that within the ventral tegmental area (VT

…processes such as anxiety and social interaction. Previous studies have shown that PFC neurons are modulated by different variables in one specific task, but it remains unclear how the same neurons respond during different tasks. Here we address this question by imaging the same PFC neurons in mice while they perform multiple tasks. We expressed the calcium indicator GCaMP6f in the medial PFC (mPFC) of C57BL/6N mice and implanted a GRIN lens t

Dysregulation of social motivation can lead to social maladjustment, relationship degradation, and is common in many neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism or depression. It is thus very important to better understand the neurobiological substrate underlying this dysregulation of motivation. The Subthalamic Nucleus (STN) has been shown to be a crucial brain region to regulate motivation and emotions. STN lesions induce impairments in various aspects of social behavior in rats, including reduced motivation for rewarding positive ultrasonic vocalizations (USV), non-recognition of emotional vo

Social interaction plays a pivotal role in human cognition and well-being. Hyperscanning studies of social interaction using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) have associated increases in interbrain synchrony with positive outcome measures of cooperation, learning, and mutual understanding. Neurofeedback, a well-established method for modulating and training brain activity, has shown promise in improving cognitive functions. Consequently, it would be advantageous to determine the feasibility of creating a neurofeedback system for enhancing interbrain synchrony to potentially benefi

Social interaction is a dynamic process wherein individuals exert reciprocal influence on one another. This process encompasses diverse types of behaviors which are infrequently delineated and examined distinctly. Moreover, while the quest for the social brain has mainly focused on the cerebrum, recent evidence has unveiled the potential engagement of cerebellar mechanisms in the regulation of social interactions. In this light, we microinfused muscimol (a GABAa receptor agonist) or saline into the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) of mice and measured their social behaviors in a modified version o

Social interaction is a fundamental and evolutionarily conserved need. Social grouping decreases the risk of predation, reduces energy consumption and leads to mutually beneficial behaviors such as parenting and group foraging. By contrast, social isolation leads to a range of mental and physical problems in both human and animals. However, how the brain controls instinctive social need and what neuronal populations and circuits are involved, remain unknown. In this study, we report the identification of novel populations of hypothalamic neurons in the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) in mice th

…of others, is a key component of social reasoning and social interaction. While it has been studied by cognitive scientists for decades, none of the prevailing theories of the processes that underlie theory of mind reasoning and development explain the breadth of experimental findings. I propose that this is because theory of mind is, like much of human reasoning, inherently analogical. In this talk, I will discuss several theory of mind findings from the psychology literature, the challe

…To enhance human-robot interaction, it is essential for robots to become more socialized via processing multiple social cues in a complex real-world environment. Thus, social cues integration and crossmodal conflict resolution are crucial for humanoid robots to implement social interaction. I will present a series of studies to explore the following questions: 1) how human participa