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An amygdala circuit that suppresses social engagement.

ABSTRACT: Innate social behaviours, such as mating and fighting, are fundamental to animal reproduction and survival¹. However, social engagements can also put an individual at risk². Little is known about the neural mechanisms that enable appropriate risk assessment and the suppression of hazardous social interactions. Here we identify the posteromedial nucleus of the cortical amygdala (COApm) as a locus required for the suppression of male mating when a female mouse is unhealthy. Using anatomical tracing, functional imaging and circuit-level epistatic analyses, we show that suppression of mating with an unhealthy female is mediated by the COApm projections onto the glutamatergic population of the medial amygdalar nucleus (MEA). We further show that the role of the COApm-to-MEA connection in regulating male mating behaviour relies on the neuromodulator thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). TRH is expressed in the COApm, whereas the TRH receptor (TRHR) is found in the postsynaptic MEA glutamatergic neurons. Manipulating neural activity of TRH-expressing neurons in the COApm modulated male mating behaviour. In the MEA, activation of the TRHR pathway by ligand infusion inhibited mating even towards healthy female mice, whereas genetic ablation of TRHR facilitated mating with unhealthy individuals. In summary, we reveal a neural pathway that relies on the neuromodulator TRH to modulate social interactions according to the health status of the reciprocating individual. Individuals must balance the cost of social interactions relative to the benefit, as deficits in the ability to select healthy mates may lead to the spread of disease.

SUBMITTER: Kwon JT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9251649 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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An amygdala circuit that supresses social engagement

Project description:Innate social behaviors, such as mating and fighting, are fundamental to animal reproduction and survival. However, social engagements are associated with risks for the individual, such as pathogenic infection and physical injury. Little is known about the neural mechanism that allows for appropriate risk assessment and the suppression of hazardous social interactions. We have identified the posteromedial nucleus of the cortical amygdala (COApm) as a locus required for the suppression of mating with an unhealthy female and aggressive behaviors towards a dominant male intruder. Using anatomical tracing, functional imaging, and circuit-level epistatic analyses, we show that suppression of social engagements is mediated by the COApm projections onto the glutamatergic population of the medial amygdalar nucleus (MEA). We further show that this projection that governs social engagements is demarcated by expression of both the neuromodulator thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in the COApm and the TRH-receptor (TRHR) in the postsynaptic MEA glutamatergic neurons. Modulating TRH-expressing neurons as well as infusing TRHR ligand into the MEA phenocopy functional manipulation of the COApm-MEA circuit. We have, therefore, uncovered a novel neural mechanism that endows animals with the ability to modulate innate reproductive and aggressive social interactions according to the health and threat status of reciprocating individuals. Deficits in such a mechanism may lead to the spread of disease, while uncontrolled engagement may lead to pathological conditions, such as social withdrawal and depression.

2021-02-22 | GSE167176 | GEO

An amygdala circuit that supresses social engagement

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