Cited by 135Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorPrimate Behavior and EcologyAnimal Behavior and Reproduction

A Social Network Approach Reveals Associations between Mouse Social Dominance and Brain Gene Expression

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So, Nina, Franks, Becca, Lim, Sean, Curley, James P.·2015·PLOS ONE

Abstract

Modelling complex social behavior in the laboratory is challenging and requires analyses of dyadic interactions occurring over time in a physically and socially complex environment. In the current study, we approached the analyses of complex social interactions in group-housed male CD1 mice living in a large vivarium. Intensive observations of social interactions during a 3-week period indicated that male mice form a highly linear and steep dominance hierarchy that is maintained by fighting and chasing behaviors. Individual animals were classified as dominant, sub-dominant or subordinate according to their David's Scores and I& SI ranking. Using a novel dynamic temporal Glicko rating method, we ascertained that the dominance hierarchy was stable across time. Using social network analyses, we characterized the behavior of individuals within 66 unique relationships in the social group. We identified two individual network metrics, Kleinberg's Hub Centrality and Bonacich's Power Centrality, as accurate predictors of individual dominance and power. Comparing across behaviors, we establish that agonistic, grooming and sniffing social networks possess their own distinctive characteristics in terms of density, average path length, reciprocity out-degree centralization and out-closeness centralization. Though grooming ties between individuals were largely independent of other social networks, sniffing relationships were highly predictive of the directionality of agonistic relationships. Individual variation in dominance status was associated with brain gene expression, with more dominant individuals having higher levels of corticotropin releasing factor mRNA in the medial and central nuclei of the amygdala and the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus, as well as higher levels of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA. This study demonstrates the potential and significance of combining complex social housing and intensive behavioral characterization of group-living animals with the utilization of novel statistical methods to further our understanding of the neurobiological basis of social behavior at the individual, relationship and group levels.

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  • In some studies subordinate mice form linear hierarchies, while in others ranking is more despotic.

    “In some studies the subordinates form linear hierarchies, 136,138,141 while in others ranking is more despotic.80,97,142”

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Authors
So, N., Franks, B., Lim, S., & Curley, J. P.
Affiliations
  • Columbia University (US)
  • University of British Columbia (CA)
Corresponding author
Curley, James P.
Venue
PLOS ONE
Published
2015-07-30
Volume
10
Issue
7
Pages
e0134509
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W1852628838
Cited by
135
References
114
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 9
FWCI
16.91
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Columbia Academic Commons (Columbia University)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
Keywords
social dominance, dominance hierarchy, social network analysis, mouse social behavior, ICR mice, grooming, sniffing, agonistic behavior, corticotropin-releasing factor, amygdala, medial preoptic area, hippocampus, glucocorticoid receptor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, gene expression
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Gene Expression Regulation, Male, Social Behavior, Social Dominance, Mice, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

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