A Hypothalamic Circuit Underlying the Dynamic Control of Social Homeostasis.

ABSTRACT: Social grouping increases survival in many species, including humans^1,2. By contrast, social isolation generates an aversive state (loneliness) that motivates social seeking and heightens social interaction upon reunion^3-5. The observed rebound in social interaction triggered by isolation suggests a homeostatic process underlying the control of social drive, similar to that observed for physiological needs such as hunger, thirst or sleep^3,6. In this study, we assessed social responses in multiple mouse strains and identified the FVB/NJ line as exquisitely sensitive to social isolation. Using FVB/NJ mice, we uncovered two previously uncharacterized neuronal populations in the hypothalamic preoptic nucleus that are activated during social isolation and social

SUBMITTER: Liu D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10245688 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature