title: Enhanced Neuronal Activity in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex during Social Approach Behavior.
abstract: Although the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is known to play a crucial role in rodent social behavior, little is known about mPFC neural correlates of social behavior. In the present study, we examined single-neuron activity in the mPFC of mice performing a modified version of the three-chamber test. We found that a subset of mPFC neurons elevate discharge rates when approaching a stranger mouse but not when approaching an inanimate object or an empty chamber. Our results reveal mPFC neural activity that is correlated with social approach behavior in a widely used social-interaction paradigm. These findings might be helpful for future investigations of mPFC neural processes underlying social interaction in health and disease.
  
  
  
  Although the prefrontal cortex is known to play a crucial role in rodent social behavior, little is known about prefrontal neural correlates of social behavior. This study shows that the activity of a subset of prefrontal neurons increases in association with social approach behavior during a three-chamber test-a widely used behavioral paradigm. Such responses might be a signature of prefrontal neural processes underlying social approach behavior.
authors.affiliation: Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 305-701 Korea, and.
authors.forename: Eunee
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 305-701 Korea, and.
authors.forename: Issac
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4275-1999
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rhim
authors.affiliation: Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 305-701 Korea, and.
authors.forename: Jong Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 305-701 Korea, and.
authors.forename: Jeong-Wook
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Ghim
authors.affiliation: Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 305-701 Korea, and Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 305-701 Korea.
authors.forename: Seungjoon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 305-701 Korea, and Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 305-701 Korea mwjung@kaist.ac.kr kime@kaist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Eunjoon
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Center for Synaptic Brain Dysfunctions, Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon, 305-701 Korea, and Department of Biological Sciences, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon, 305-701 Korea mwjung@kaist.ac.kr kime@kaist.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Min Whan
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Jung
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002755:Choice Behavior; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000166:cytology*
keywords: in vivo recording; mPFC; object recognition; social interaction; three chamber test