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Review
. 2021 Oct 29:15:768294.
doi: 10.3389/fncir.2021.768294. eCollection 2021.

Neural Circuits for Social Interactions: From Microcircuits to Input-Output Circuits

Sen Xu  1 , Ming Jiang  1 , Xia Liu  1 , Yahan Sun  1 , Liang Yang  1 , Qinghu Yang  1 , Zhantao Bai  1
Affiliations
Review

Neural Circuits for Social Interactions: From Microcircuits to Input-Output Circuits

Sen Xu et al. Front Neural Circuits. .

Abstract

Social behaviors entail responses to social information and requires the perception and integration of social cues through a complex cognition process that involves attention, memory, motivation, and emotion. Neurobiological and molecular mechanisms underlying social behavior are highly conserved across species, and inter- and intra-specific variability observed in social behavior can be explained to large extent by differential activity of a conserved neural network. However, neural microcircuits and precise networks involved in social behavior remain mysterious. In this review, we summarize the microcircuits and input-output circuits on the molecular, cellular, and network levels of different social interactions, such as social exploration, social hierarchy, social memory, and social preference. This review provides a broad view of how multiple microcircuits and input-output circuits converge on the medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala to regulate complex social behaviors, as well as a potential novel view for better control over pathological development.

Keywords: amygdala; hippocampus; input-output circuit; medial prefrontal cortex; microcircuit; social interaction.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Schematic diagram of neural circuits within the social exploration. (A) The paradigm diagrams of social exposure behaviors. (B) The neural networks of social exploration. mPFC, medial prefrontal cortex; HPC, hippocampus; BLA, basolateral amygdala; NAc, nucleus accumbens; ACC, anterior cingulate cortex; CB1R, cannabinoid type 1 receptor; CCK, cholecystokinin.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Functional connectivity within the social memory and preference circuits. (A) The paradigm diagrams of social memory and preference behaviors. (B) The neural circuits of social memory and preference. mPFC, medial prefrontal cortex; PL, prelimbic cortex; HPC, hippocampus; BLA, basolateral amygdala; mOFC, medial orbitofrontal cortex; NAc, nucleus accumbens; PVN, paraventricular nucleus; ACC, anterior cingulate cortex; SuM, supramammillary nucleus; VTA, ventral tegmental area.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Neural pathways of social dominance. (A) The paradigm diagrams of social dominance behaviors. (B) The neural circuits of social dominance. dmPFC, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex; IL, infralimbic cortex; PL, prelimbic cortex; MeA, medial amygdala; BLA, basolateral amygdala; dCA2, dorsal CA2; DRN, dorsal raphe nucleus; MD, mediodorsal nuclei of thalamus; PAG, periaqueductal gray; STR, striatum; DLS, dorsal lateral septum.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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