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A hypothalamic pathway that suppresses aggression toward superior opponents.

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Title: A hypothalamic pathway that suppresses aggression toward superior opponents.
Authors: Wei, Dongyu (AUTHOR), Osakada, Takuya (AUTHOR), Guo, Zhichao (AUTHOR), Yamaguchi, Takashi (AUTHOR), Varshneya, Avni (AUTHOR), Yan, Rongzhen (AUTHOR), Jiang, Yiwen (AUTHOR), Lin, Dayu (AUTHOR)
Source: Nature Neuroscience. May2023, Vol. 26 Issue 5, p774-787. 14p.
Abstract: Aggression is costly and requires tight regulation. Here we identify the projection from estrogen receptor alpha-expressing cells in the caudal part of the medial preoptic area (cMPOAEsr1) to the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl) as an essential pathway for modulating aggression in male mice. cMPOAEsr1 cells increase activity mainly during male–male interaction, which differs from the female-biased response pattern of rostral MPOAEsr1 (rMPOAEsr1) cells. Notably, cMPOAEsr1 cell responses to male opponents correlated with the opponents' fighting capability, which mice could estimate based on physical traits or learn through physical combats. Inactivating the cMPOAEsr1–VMHvl pathway increased aggression, whereas activating the pathway suppressed natural intermale aggression. Thus, cMPOAEsr1 is a key population for encoding opponents' fighting capability—information that could be used to prevent animals from engaging in disadvantageous conflicts with superior opponents by suppressing the activity of VMHvl cells essential for attack behaviors. To fight or not to fight? Wei et al. show that Esr1 cells in the mouse cMPOA encode the fighting capability of male opponents and use this information to suppress aggression toward superior opponents by inhibiting attack-mediating ventromedial hypothalamus cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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Abstract:Aggression is costly and requires tight regulation. Here we identify the projection from estrogen receptor alpha-expressing cells in the caudal part of the medial preoptic area (cMPOAEsr1) to the ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl) as an essential pathway for modulating aggression in male mice. cMPOAEsr1 cells increase activity mainly during male–male interaction, which differs from the female-biased response pattern of rostral MPOAEsr1 (rMPOAEsr1) cells. Notably, cMPOAEsr1 cell responses to male opponents correlated with the opponents' fighting capability, which mice could estimate based on physical traits or learn through physical combats. Inactivating the cMPOAEsr1–VMHvl pathway increased aggression, whereas activating the pathway suppressed natural intermale aggression. Thus, cMPOAEsr1 is a key population for encoding opponents' fighting capability—information that could be used to prevent animals from engaging in disadvantageous conflicts with superior opponents by suppressing the activity of VMHvl cells essential for attack behaviors. To fight or not to fight? Wei et al. show that Esr1 cells in the mouse cMPOA encode the fighting capability of male opponents and use this information to suppress aggression toward superior opponents by inhibiting attack-mediating ventromedial hypothalamus cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:10976256
DOI:10.1038/s41593-023-01297-5