title: Natural neural projection dynamics underlying social behavior.
abstract: Social interaction is a complex behavior essential for many species and is impaired in major neuropsychiatric disorders. Pharmacological studies have implicated certain neurotransmitter systems in social behavior, but circuit-level understanding of endogenous neural activity during social interaction is lacking. We therefore developed and applied a new methodology, termed fiber photometry, to optically record natural neural activity in genetically and connectivity-defined projections to elucidate the real-time role of specified pathways in mammalian behavior. Fiber photometry revealed that activity dynamics of a ventral tegmental area (VTA)-to-nucleus accumbens (NAc) projection could encode and predict key features of social, but not novel object, interaction. Consistent with this observation, optogenetic control of cells specifically contributing to this projection was sufficient to modulate social behavior, which was mediated by type 1 dopamine receptor signaling downstream in the NAc. Direct observation of deep projection-specific activity in this way captures a fundamental and previously inaccessible dimension of mammalian circuit dynamics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Gunaydin
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Neuroscience Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Logan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grosenick
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Joel C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Isaac V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Kauvar
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Neuroscience Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Lief E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Fenno
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Avishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adhikari
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lammel
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Julie J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mirzabekov
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Raag D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Airan
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Neuroscience Program, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Zalocusky
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Kay M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Tye
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Polina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Anikeeva
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Malenka
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Electronic address: deissero@stanford.edu.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deisseroth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D009434:Neural Pathways; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D010783:Photometry / Q000379:methods; D011954:Receptors, Dopamine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012201:Reward; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012919:Social Behavior; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D011954:Receptors, Dopamine; D012243:Rhodopsin