Nat Neurosci. 2020 Sep;23(9):1111-1124. doi: 10.1038/s41593-020-0675-x. | PubMed

Takashi Yamaguchi¹, Dongyu Wei², Soomin C Song², Byungkook Lim³, Nicolas X Tritsch², Dayu Lin^4,5,6

1. Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. takashi.yamaguchi@nyulangone.org.
2. Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.
3. Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
4. Neuroscience Institute, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. dayu.lin@nyulangone.org.
5. Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. dayu.lin@nyulangone.org.
6. Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA. dayu.lin@nyulangone.org.

Abstract

Sexual and aggressive behaviors are fundamental to animal survival and reproduction. The medial preoptic nucleus (MPN) and ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMHvl) are essential regions for male sexual and aggressive behaviors, respectively. While key inhibitory inputs to the VMHvl and MPN have been identified, the extrahypothalamic excitatory inputs essential for social behaviors remain elusive. Here we identify estrogen receptor alpha (Esr1)-expressing cells in the posterior amygdala (PA) as a main source of excitatory inputs to the hypothalamus and key mediators for mating and fighting in male mice. We find two largely distinct PA subpopulations that differ in connectivity, gene expression, in vivo responses and social behavior relevance. MPN-projecting PAEsr1+ cells are activated during mating and are necessary and sufficient for male sexual behaviors, while VMHvl-projecting PAEsr1+ cells are excited during intermale aggression and promote attacks. These findings place the PA as a key node in both male aggression and reproduction circuits.

Presented By Takashi Yamaguchi | ORCID iD