[Impaired social recognition in male mice with repeated experience of aggression]

Social recognition is crucial for many aspects of animal behavior in stabilized population. Preliminary data proposed impairment of social recognition in male mice with long experience of aggression. To check this hypothesis, experiments with male mice with different aggressive experience (during 2 and 20 days) were performed. Two types of losers were used as partners: losers with active defense reactions and losers displaying submissive postures. The enhanced aggressive motivation was found in both groups of aggressors. Mice with short aggressive experience demonstrated intensive attacks toward the active losers and decreased aggression directed to submissive losers. Mice with long aggressive experience did not change their behavior depending on a type of the partner and displayed a high level of aggression as a result of dominant aggressive motivation and impaired social recognition.