Prefrontal-amygdalar oscillations related to social behavior in mice

The medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala are involved in the regulation of social behavior and associated with psychiatric diseases but their detailed neurophysiological mechanisms at a network level remain unclear. We recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) while male mice engaged on social behavior. We found that in wild-type mice, both the dmPFC and BLA increased 4-7 Hz oscillation power and decreased 30-60 Hz power when they needed to attend to another target mouse. In mouse models with reduced social interactions, dmPFC 4-7 Hz power further increased especially when they exhibited social avoidance behavior. In contrast, dmPFC and BLA decreased 4-7 Hz power when wild-type mice socially approached a target mouse. Frequency-specific optogenetic manipulations replicating social approach-related LFP patterns restored social interaction behavior in socially deficient mice. These results demonstrate a neurophysiological substrate of the prefrontal cortex and amygdala related to social behavior and provide a unified pathophysiological understanding of neuronal population dynamics underlying social behavioral deficits.

Automated summary

The medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala play important roles in regulating social behavior, but their specific neurophysiological mechanisms are still unclear. This study recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from these brain regions in male mice engaged in social behavior. It was found that both the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala showed changes in oscillation power when mice attended to another target mouse. Manipulating specific neural activity patterns in these regions restored social interaction behavior in socially deficient mice, providing insights into the underlying neurophysiological basis of social behavioral deficits.