Amygdala neural ensemble mediates mouse social investigation behaviors

Ji-An Wei; Qing Han; Zhihua Luo; Linglin Liu; Jing Cui; Jiahui Tan; Billy K C Chow; Kwok-Fai So; Li Zhang

doi:10.1093/nsr/nwac179

Amygdala neural ensemble mediates mouse social investigation behaviors

Natl Sci Rev. 2022 Aug 30;10(1):nwac179. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwac179. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Ji-An Wei^{1

2}, Qing Han¹, Zhihua Luo¹, Linglin Liu¹, Jing Cui¹, Jiahui Tan¹, Billy K C Chow², Kwok-Fai So^{1

3

4

5

6

7

8}, Li Zhang^{1

4

5

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of CNS Regeneration (Ministry of Education), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Institute of CNS Regeneration, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
² School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
⁴ Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou 510030, China.
⁵ Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory), Guangzhou 510006, China.
⁶ Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong 220619, China.
⁷ Neuroscience and Neurorehabilitation Institute, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao 266113, China.
⁸ Institute of Clinical Research for Mental Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.

Abstract

Innate social investigation behaviors are critical for animal survival and are regulated by both neural circuits and neuroendocrine factors. Our understanding of how neuropeptides regulate social interest, however, is incomplete at the current stage. In this study, we identified the expression of secretin (SCT) in a subpopulation of excitatory neurons in the basolateral amygdala. With distinct molecular and physiological features, BLA^SCT+ cells projected to the medial prefrontal cortex and were necessary and sufficient for promoting social investigation behaviors, whilst other basolateral amygdala neurons were anxiogenic and antagonized social behaviors. Moreover, the exogenous application of secretin effectively promoted social interest in both healthy and autism spectrum disorder model mice. These results collectively demonstrate a previously unrecognized group of amygdala neurons for mediating social behaviors and suggest promising strategies for social deficits.

Keywords: basolateral amygdala; secretin; social interaction.