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Combined social and spatial coding in a descending projection from the prefrontal cortex

M. Murugan, M. Park, J. Taliaferro, H.J. Jang, J. Cox, N.F. Parker, V. Bhave, A. Nectow, J.W. Pillow, I.B. Witten
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/155929
M. Murugan
1 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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M. Park
1 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
2 Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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J. Taliaferro
1 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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H.J. Jang
3 Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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J. Cox
1 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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N.F. Parker
1 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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V. Bhave
1 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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A. Nectow
1 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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J.W. Pillow
1 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
2 Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
4 Center for Statistics and Machine Learning, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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I.B. Witten
1 Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
2 Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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Abstract

Social interactions are crucial to the survival and well-being of all mammals, including humans. Although the prelimbic cortex (PL, part of medial prefrontal cortex) has been implicated in social behavior, it is not clear which neurons are relevant, nor how they contribute. We found that the PL contains anatomically and molecularly distinct subpopulations of neurons that target 3 downstream regions that have been implicated in social behavior: the nucleus accumbens (NAc), the amygdala, and the ventral tegmental area. Activation of NAc-projecting PL neurons (PL-NAc), but not the other subpopulations, decreased preference for a social target, suggesting an unique contribution of this population to social behavior. To determine what information PL-NAc neurons convey, we recorded selectively from them, and found that individual neurons were active during social investigation, but only in specific spatial locations. Spatially-specific inhibition of these neurons prevented the formation of a social-spatial association at the inhibited location. In contrast, spatially nonspecific inhibition did not affect social behavior. Thus, the unexpected combination of social and spatial information within the PL-NAc population appears to support socially motivated behavior by enabling the formation of social-spatial associations.

Footnotes

  • ↵* Lead contact. Email: iwitten{at}princeton.edu

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted June 26, 2017.
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Combined social and spatial coding in a descending projection from the prefrontal cortex
M. Murugan, M. Park, J. Taliaferro, H.J. Jang, J. Cox, N.F. Parker, V. Bhave, A. Nectow, J.W. Pillow, I.B. Witten
bioRxiv 155929; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/155929
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Combined social and spatial coding in a descending projection from the prefrontal cortex
M. Murugan, M. Park, J. Taliaferro, H.J. Jang, J. Cox, N.F. Parker, V. Bhave, A. Nectow, J.W. Pillow, I.B. Witten
bioRxiv 155929; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/155929

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