Whose behaviour? Ca2+ imaging in medial prefrontal cortex during social dominance interactions in a Tube-Test

This data set is a supplement for the article entitled "Whose behaviour? Ca2+ imaging in medial prefrontal cortex during social dominance interactions in a Tube-Test" that is submitted for in PNAS, Saxena et al 2021. Using this data one can reproduce the figures and the analysis done in the above-mentioned article and figures.

The study of social dominance interactions between animals offers a window onto the decision-making involved in establishing dominance hierarchies and an opportunity to examine changes in social behavior observed in certain neurogenetic disorders. Competitive social interactions, such as in the widely used Tube-Test, reflect this decision-making. Previous studies have focused on the different patterns of behavior seen in the dominant and submissive animal, neural correlates of effortful behavior believed to mediate the outcome of such encounters, and interbrain correlations of neural activity. We now report using a rigorous mutual information criterion that endoscopically imaged calcium transients in the prelimbic zone of the medial prefrontal cortex show unique correlations to specific dominance-related behaviors. Inter-animal analyses revealed cell/behavior correlations that are primarily with an animal’s own behavior, with the other animal’s behavior or the coincident behavior of both animals (such as pushing and resisting together). The comparison of unique and coincident cells helps to disentangle cell firing that reflects an animal’s own or the other’s specific behavior from situations reflecting conjoint action. These correlates point to a more cognitive rather than a solely behavioral dimension of social interactions that needs to be considered in the design of neurobiological studies of social behavior. These could prove useful in studies of disorders affecting social recognition, social engagement and the treatment of disorders of social interaction.

Saxena, Kapil; Morris, Richard. (2021). Whose behaviour? Ca2+ imaging in medial prefrontal cortex during social dominance interactions in a Tube-Test, [dataset]. University of Edinburgh. Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences. https://doi.org/10.7488/ds/3415.