title: Molecular and neural control of sexually dimorphic social behaviors.
abstract: Sexually reproducing animals exhibit sex differences in behavior. Sexual dimorphisms in mating, aggression, and parental care directly contribute to reproductive success of the individual and survival of progeny. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the molecular and neural network mechanisms underlying these behaviors in mice. Notable advances include novel insights into the sensory control of social interactions and the identification of molecularly-specified neuronal populations in the brain that control mating, aggression, and parental behaviors. In the case of the latter, these advances mark a watershed because scientists can now focus on discrete neural pathways in an effort to understand how the brain encodes these fundamental social behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States.
authors.forename: Taehong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States; Center for Reproductive Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States. Electronic address: nms@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Nirao M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Shah
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D051379:Mice; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D012919:Social Behavior