Presentation Details
| Social Interaction Drives Interbrain Synchrony in Olfactory and Prefrontal Networks Geronimo Velazquez-Hernandez, Janardhan Bhattarai, Juee Naik, Brittany Chapman , Yina Zhou, Delaney McKinstry, Yingqi Wang, Minghong Ma. University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA |
Abstract
Social interaction is fundamental to individual well-being and depends on information exchange, behavioral coordination, and shared cognitive states between individuals. This interaction exhibits coordinated neural activity, termed interbrain synchrony (IBS), which encodes socially relevant information. IBS is observed in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a key region for social cognition. Respiration-entrained olfactory oscillations organize mPFC activity, but their role in IBS is unknown. Here, we test if coordinated olfactory inputs during social interaction promote IBS via an olfactory–mPFC circuit. We simultaneously recorded local field potentials (LFPs) from the mPFC and OB in freely behaving mouse pairs (n=21 pairs). IBS (Pearson’s correlation of LFP power) was observed in both mPFC and OB , with respiration also synchronizing during social interactions. To rule out that IBS is caused by common sensory stimuli, we ran four controls. First, IBS only existed in pairs engaged in social interaction, but not across mice that each interacted with a different mouse. Second, olfactory epithelium ablation by methimazole did not abolish IBS, indicating that odor stimuli are not required. Third, investigation of a novel object, despite eliciting similar exploration, did not induce IBS. Fourth, to assess whether sustained social engagement enhances IBS, we allowed mice to interact through small windows in adjacent cages. IBS increased over time and peaked within the first minute of interaction. Finally, synchronized optogenetic activation of interneurons in the mPFCs or OBs did not alter social interaction. These findings indicate that IBS emerges only during direct social interaction, is independent of external sensory stimuli, and is not driven by inhibitory neuronal activity in these regions.
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