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The role of the posterior intralaminar thalamic nucleus on contact sequence in mouse social interaction
  • Hiroyuki Arakawa,
  • Mana Tokashiki
Hiroyuki Arakawa
University of Michigan

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Mana Tokashiki
University of the Ryukyus Faculty of Medicine Graduate School of Medicine
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Abstract

Efficient social interaction is essential for an adaptive life and consists of sequential processes of multisensory events with social counterparts. Social touch/contact is a unique component that promotes a sequence of social behaviors initiated by detection and approach to assess a social stimulus and subsequent maintenance of touch/contacts to form prosocial relationships. We hypothesized that the thalamic sensory relay circuit from the posterior intralaminar nucleus of the thalamus (pIL) to the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) and the medial amygdala (MeA) plays a key role in the social contact-mediated sequence of events. We found that neurons in the pIL along with the PVN and MeA, were activated by social encounters, and that pIL activity was more abundant in a direct physical encounter, whereas MeA activity was dominant in an indirect via grid encounter. Chemogenetic inhibition of pIL neurons selectively decreased the investigatory approach and sniffing of a same-sex, but not an opposite-sex, stimulus mouse in an indirect encounter situation and decreased the facial/snout contact ratio in a direct encounter setting. Furthermore, chemogenetic pIL inhibition had no impact on anxiety-like behaviors or body coordinative motor behaviors, but it impaired whisker-related and plantar touch tactile sense. We propose that the pIL circuit can relay social tactile sensations and mediate the sequence of non-sexual prosocial interactions using an investigatory approach through tactile contact.
Submitted to European Journal of Neuroscience
02 Apr 2024Assigned to Editor
02 Apr 2024Submission Checks Completed
03 Apr 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
07 Apr 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
08 Jul 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
30 Jul 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major
06 Aug 20242nd Revision Received
09 Aug 2024Submission Checks Completed
09 Aug 2024Assigned to Editor
09 Aug 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
09 Aug 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
15 Aug 2024Editorial Decision: Accept