Rapid changes in plasma corticosterone and medial amygdala transcriptome profiles during social status change reveal molecular pathways associated with a major life history transition in mouse dominance hierarchies.

ABSTRACT: Social hierarchies are a common form of social organization across species. Although hierarchies are largely stable across time, animals may socially ascend or descend within hierarchies depending on environmental and social challenges. Here, we develop a novel paradigm to study social ascent and descent within male CD-1 mouse social hierarchies. We show that mice of all social ranks rapidly establish new stable social hierarchies when placed in novel social groups with animals of equivalent social status. Seventy minutes following social hierarchy formation, males that were socially dominant prior to being placed into new social hierarchies exhibit higher increases in plasma corticosterone and vastly greater transcriptional changes in the medial amygdala (MeA), which is central to the reg

SUBMITTER: Milewski TM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11761145 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature