The vertebrate social behavior network: Evolutionary themes and variations
Open accessAbstract
Based on a wide variety of data, it is now clear that birds and teleost (bony) fish possess a core "social behavior network" within the basal forebrain and midbrain that is homologous to the social behavior network of mammals. The nodes of this network are reciprocally connected, contain receptors for sex steroid hormones, and are involved in multiple forms of social behavior. Other hodological features and neuropeptide distributions are likewise very similar across taxa. This evolutionary conservation represents a boon for experiments on phenotypic behavioral variation, as the extraordinary social diversity of teleost fish and songbirds can now be used to generate broadly relevant insights into issues of brain function that are not particularly tractable in other vertebrate groups. Two such lines of research are presented here, each of which addresses functional variation within the network as it relates to divergent patterns of social behavior. In the first set of experiments, we have used a sexually polymorphic fish to demonstrate that natural selection can operate independently on hypothalamic neuroendocrine functions that are relevant for (1) gonadal regulation and (2) sex-typical behavioral modulation. In the second set of experiments, we have exploited the diversity of avian social organizations and ecologies to isolate species-typical group size as a quasi-independent variable. These experiments have shown that specific areas and peptidergic components of the social behavior network possess functional properties that evolve in parallel with divergence and convergence in sociality.
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Many of the brain regions involved in mating and pair bonding are part of established networks involved in social behavior across species, such as the social brain network and the social decision-making network.
“Many of these regions are a part of established networks known to be involved in social behavior across species, such as the social brain network (SBN) and the social decision-making network (SDMN).”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [79]
The passage describing the network’s six nodes says they are implicated in sexual behavior, affiliation, and bonding; the Conclusions describe this social behavior network as conserved across vertebrates. The cited paper does not identify a separate social decision-making network (SDMN), so it supports the sentence’s broader point but not both named networks. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe social brain network comprises hypothalamic structures as well as the periaqueductal gray, medial amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and lateral septum, which are reciprocally connected, contain receptors for gonadal hormones, and are implicated in at least one social behavior.
“The SBN, described in rodents, birds, and reptiles, comprises hypothalamic structures as well as the periaqueductal gray (PAG), MeA, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), and the LS that are reciprocally connected with the other regions of the network, contain receptors for gonadal hormones, and are implicated in at least one social behavior [78,79].”
From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [79]
Organizational plasticity of steroid hormone and neuropeptide systems across the SDMN is an important mechanism contributing to diversity in distributed network function and social behavior within and across species.
“It is further hypothesized that organizational plasticity of steroid hormone and neuropeptide systems across the SDMN is an important mechanism contributing to diversity in distributed network function and social behavior within and across species”
From Oxytocin receptors modulate a social salience neural network in male prairie voles (2017) · cites this paper as Goodson, 2005
The social decision-making network (SDMN) is thought to modulate social communication, parenting, sexual, and aggressive behaviors across vertebrates.
“the social decision-making network (SDMN) represents a synthesis of previously described social behavior and mesolimbic reward networks, and is thought to modulate social communication, parenting, sexual, and aggressive behaviors across vertebrates”
From Oxytocin receptors modulate a social salience neural network in male prairie voles (2017) · cites this paper as Goodson, 2005
The MeA Ucn3-CRF-R2 circuit projects to and receives projections from brain areas previously reported to be involved in regulation of social behavior, including the BNST, LS, PVN, and PVT.
“We found that this circuit projects to and receives projections from brain areas that have been previously reported to be involved in regulation of social behavior, including the BNST, LS, PVN, and PVT 10 .”
From Ucn3 and CRF-R2 in the medial amygdala regulate complex social dynamics (2016) · cites this paper as [10]
Many of the regions expressing Ucn3 and CRF-R2 overlap with the mammalian social brain network, which consists of the MeA, BNST, LS, median preoptic nucleus, VMH, midbrain, and anterior hypothalamus.
“Interestingly, many of these regions overlap with the 'mammalian social brain network' , which consists of the MeA, BNST, LS, median preoptic nucleus, VMH, midbrain, and anterior hypothalalmus 10 .”
From Ucn3 and CRF-R2 in the medial amygdala regulate complex social dynamics (2016) · cites this paper as [10]
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References 128 · Cited by 771
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- Acher R. Endocrinology. American Physiological Society; Washington, D.C.: 1972. Chemistry of the neurohypophysial hormones: an example of molecular evolution; pp. 119–130. [Google Scholar]
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- Authors
- Goodson, J. L.
- Affiliations
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Corresponding author
- Goodson, James L.
- Venue
- Hormones and Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2005-06
- Volume
- 48
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 11-22
- ISSN
- 0018-506X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2570781
- OpenAlex
- W2043036324
- Cited by
- 771
- References
- 128
- Citations by year
- 2026: 26 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 53 · 2022: 52 · 2021: 50 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 42 · 2018: 42 · 2017: 61 · 2016: 57 · 2015: 37 · 2014: 46 · 2013: 33 · 2012: 36
- FWCI
- 17.43
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Hormones and Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH062656, MH62656)
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (DC 00092, R01DC000092)
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (F32 NS-0443)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Physiology › Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species
- Keywords
- social behavior network, evolutionary conservation, birds, teleosts, sex steroid receptors, hypothalamus, neuropeptides, sexual polymorphism, sex-typical behavior, group size, evolution of social behavior, convergent evolution
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Behavior, Animal, Biological Evolution, Neurosecretory Systems, Social Behavior, Vertebrates
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