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Cited by 37Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorPrimate Behavior and EcologyMemory and Neural Mechanisms

Immediate early gene activation throughout the brain is associated with dynamic changes in social context

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Williamson, Cait M., Klein, Inbal S., Lee, Won, Curley, James P.·2019·Social Neuroscience
DOI 10.1080/17470919.2018.1479303

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Abstract

Social competence is dependent on successful processing of social context information. The social opportunity paradigm is a methodology in which dynamic shifts in social context are induced through removal of the alpha male in a dominance hierarchy, leading to rapid ascent in the hierarchy of the beta male and of other subordinate males in the social group. In the current study, we use the social opportunity paradigm to determine what brain regions respond to this dynamic change in social context, allowing an individual to recognize the absence of the alpha male and subsequently perform status-appropriate social behaviors. Replicating our previous work, we show that following removal of the alpha male, beta males rapidly ascend the social hierarchy and attain dominant status by increasing aggression towards more subordinate individuals. Analysis of patterns of Fos immunoreactivity throughout the brain indicates that in individuals undergoing social ascent, there is increased activity in regions of the social behavior network, as well as the infralimbic and prelimbic regions of the prefrontal cortex and areas of the hippocampus. Our findings demonstrate that male mice are able to respond to changes in social context and provide insight into the how the brain processes these complex behavioral changes.

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Williamson, C. M., Klein, I. S., Lee, W., & Curley, J. P.
Affiliations
Columbia University (US)
Corresponding author
Curley, James P.
ORCID
Venue
Social Neuroscience
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2018-05-31
Volume
14
Issue
3
Pages
253-265
ISSN
  • 1747-0919 (ISSN-L)
  • 1747-0927
DOI
10.1080/17470919.2018.1479303
OpenAlex
W2951724173
Cited by
37
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 6
FWCI
6.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Social Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Science Foundation (DGE-16-44869)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
Keywords
social hierarchy, dominance hierarchy, social ascent, aggression, Fos-like immunoreactivity, social behavior network, infralimbic cortex, prelimbic cortex, hippocampus, male mice, social competence
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Brain Chemistry, Hierarchy, Social, Hippocampus, Limbic System, Male, Nerve Net, Social Dominance, Social Environment, Transcriptional Activation, Genes, fos, Prefrontal Cortex, Genes, Immediate-Early, Mice

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