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Updated: Feb 23, 2026

Assessment of Social Transmission of Food Preferences Behaviors
Published on: January 25, 2018
Neurotransmitter Switching Regulated by miRNAs Controls Changes in Social Preference
Davide Dulcis1, Giordano Lippi2, Christiana J Stark1
1Neurobiology Section, Division of Biological Sciences and Center for Neural Circuits and Behavior, Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0357, USA; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0603, USA.
Abstract:
Changes in social preference of amphibian larvae result from sustained exposure to kinship odorants. To understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms of this neuroplasticity, we investigated the effects of olfactory system activation on neurotransmitter (NT) expression in accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) interneurons during development. We show that protracted exposure to kin or non-kin odorants changes the number of dopamine (DA)- or gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)-expressing neurons, with corresponding changes in attraction/aversion behavior. Changing the relative number of dopaminergic and GABAergic AOB interneurons or locally introducing DA or GABA receptor antagonists alters kinship preference. We then isolate AOB microRNAs (miRs) differentially regulated across these conditions. Inhibition of miR-375 and miR-200b reveals that they target Pax6 and Bcl11b to regulate the dopaminergic and GABAergic phenotypes. The results illuminate the role of NT switching governing experience-dependent social preference. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
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