We find that extinction training suppresses a broad portion of the fear ensemble in the hippocampus, with a suggestive role of Scg2 in reorganizing inhibitory synaptic inputs in these fear memory neurons (see also work from Michael Greenberg’s lab: doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-3…)

Next, we used snRNA-seq to show that extinction training markedly changes transcription patterns in DG granule cells that encode a fear memory, and that cells activated during recall of fear and recall of extinction have distinct transcriptomic profiles. 3/5

We first used immunohistochemistry to confirm that that extinction learning indeed suppresses reactivation of a so-called “fear ensemble” and activates a competing set cells, the “extinction ensemble,” in the dentate gyrus (DG) of the mouse hippocampus. 2/5

Interested in the parental brain? Or in integrating spatial transcriptomics w/ snRNA-seq to understand decision-making at the intersection of social state and social response? Check out Ross DeAngelis' poster "Probing the motivational state of parents" (P3-186) #SICB2023 @SICB_

How did neural transcriptomes evolve? Does variation in neural transcriptomes correlate w/ behavior, ecology, life history? Find out from @willdothhh: "Comparative Transcriptomics of Amygdala & Hippocampus Reveals Neural Basis of Vertebrate Biodiversity" (P3-118) #SICB2023 @SICB_

Marine stickleback repeatedly colonize freshwater habitats. How do their genomes & sensory transcriptomes vary by ecotype? Check out Noe Reyna's poster "Coming to one’s senses: Stickleback molecular processing and neuroanatomy vary across environments" (P3-06) #SICB2023 @SICB_

Nutrition and reproduction are tightly linked. @crowleys_plant's novel approach shows how the GnRH system regulates this (collab. w/ Molly Cummings): "Sex and food: Reproduction and energy homeostasis in a fish with alternative reproductive tactics" (P1-047) #SICB2023 @EcoEvoBevo

What makes a familiar neighbor familiar? How should you respond to highly salient but competing stimuli? How is all this encoded in the brain? Don't miss @LessigEmily's compelling poster "Know thy neighbor: Decision-making in a dynamic social world" (P1-034) #SICB2023 @EcoEvoBevo

How and where vasopressin regulates social behavior is still far from clear. Come see Landon Porter's innovative foray into the "CRISPR-mediated knockout of the V1a2 vasopressin receptor in a social cichlid" (P1-033) Great collaboration w/ @ScottJuntti's lab #SICB2023 @EcoEvoBevo

Which peptidergic systems interact in the hypothalamus? How does nonapeptide signaling reflect social status? Check out @imillercrews's cool poster on "Single-cell transcriptomics of socially sensitive peptidergic neurons in a highly social fish" (P1-028)! #SICB2023 @EcoEvoBevo

However, activity in hippocampus and lateral septum of SUB males increased when the intruder failed to establish dominance. Overall, a social challenge causes diverse behavioral, hormonal, and neural changes, depending on social status, sex, AND the outcome of the challenge! 6/6

When the intruder managed to secure dominance, resident DOM males increased aggression & T levels, as well as space use and courtship. To our surprise, subordinates (SUBs) and females didn't change their behavior in response to a territorial intrusion in their community! 5/6

... and identified a principal component that separated intrusion from control DOM males (intrusion caused a decrease in border conflicts, leads of females to the bower, and basolateral amygdala activity! However, these differences were context dependent... 4/6

Compared to control communities with a sham intrusion, dominant (DOM) males responding to an intruder shifted from border defense to overt attack behavior. We then used pS6 as a neural activity marker across several key nodes of the Social Decision-Making Network… 3/6

Responses to challenges can depend on social status, sex, and community-level attributes. @surlyjill developed a novel community paradigm that allowed her to examine every group member’s behavioral, physiological, and neural responses to a territorial intrusion. 2/6