Hello.
I'm currently studying the effect of optogenetic stimulation on social behaviors using the mouse model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In one of my experiments, I conducted the three-chamber test in two sessions, before and after the optogenetic stimulation. The social memory (or social novelty preference) test, which is the second phase of the three-chamber test, consisted of a novel mouse on one side and a familiar mouse that has been exposed to the subject earlier on the other side, as established by previous protocols.
In the first session (before the optogenetic stimulation), the subject mice couldn't distinguish between the familiar and novel mouse, which was demonstrated by similar time spent in interaction with each mouse. However, in the second session (after the optogenetic stimulation), the subject mice spent significantly more time interacting with the familiar mouse rather than the novel mouse (The target mice pair was replaced by a new pair in the second session). This result was quite unexpected and confusing since it is well known that mice generally seek novelty by natural instinct, which is exhibited by exploration time. But anyway, I still interpreted this finding as a positive improvement of the social memory, because after the stimulation, the subjects can now at least distinguish between familiar and novel targets.
Currently, I'm trying to search for some references that reported similar results of social attraction towards the familiar mouse, or any other alternative explanation based on the natural behaviors of mice, but haven't found any. Can anyone provide suggestions or recommend references with relevant findings? Is my interpretation correct?
Thanks in advance.
Your findings are supported by the HeartMath coherence model, which is based on Pribram's pattern recognition studies on the relationship between positive emotion and the role of the amygdala.
See HeartMath.org and for an overview of Pribram's work see. Joye, Shelli R. (2016) "The Pribram – Bohm Hypothesis," CONSCIOUSNESS: Ideas and Research for the Twenty-First Century: Vol. 3 : No. 3 , Article 1. Available at: https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/conscjournal/vol3/iss3/
Hi,
Hope some of these references may be of help to you:
Anderson DJ. Optogenetics, sex, and violence in the brain: implications for psychiatry. Biol Psychiatry. 2012 Jun 15;71(12):1081-9. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.11.012
Bareket-Keren L, Hanein Y. Novel interfaces for light directed neuronal stimulation: advances and challenges. Int J Nanomedicine. 2014 May 6;9 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):65-83. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S51193
Höflich A, Michenthaler P, Kasper S, Lanzenberger R. Circuit Mechanisms of Reward, Anhedonia, and Depression. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2019 Feb 1;22(2):105-118. doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyy081
Ibarra-Soria X, Levitin MO, Logan DW. The genomic basis of vomeronasal-mediated behaviour. Mamm Genome. 2014 Feb;25(1-2):75-86. doi: 10.1007/s00335-013-9463-1
Angoa-Pérez M, Kuhn DM. Neuroanatomical dichotomy of sexual behaviors in rodents: a special emphasis on brain serotonin. Behav Pharmacol. 2015 Sep;26(6):595-606. doi: 10.1097/FBP.0000000000000157
Vosshall LB. Social signals: the secret language of mice. Curr Biol. 2005 Apr 12;15(7):R255-7. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2005.03.027.