Topic: transcranial optogenetic silencing

Oxytocin is essential in shaping social behavior across the lifespan. While the role of oxytocin signaling in parental care has been widely investigated, little is known about its function in social behavior during early life. This is partly due to the lack of precise technologies for studying the developing brain. In mice, the expression of the oxytocin receptor peaks during the second and third weeks of life, suggesting that oxytocin signaling is important at this early stage. Here, we studied the role of oxytocin in pup social behavior under acute separation from and reunion with the mother