Distinct Brain Electrical Activity Patterns in Dominant and Submissive Mice: Implications for Cognitive Impairments

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• The prefrontal, visual, and posterior parietal cortices are crucial for cognitive functions.
• The influence of social hierarchy and stress sensitivity on neural network interplay is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate neural differences in brain regions critical for cognition between stress-resilient dominant (Dom) and stress-sensitive submissive (Sub) mice.
• To explore how social rank and stress sensitivity affect neural connectivity and cognitive performance, particularly in novelty recognition.

Main Methods:

• Electrophysiological recordings in mice to analyze theta band power, inter-regional coherence, and phase-amplitude coupling.
• Comparison of neural activity and connectivity patterns between Dom and Sub mice during cognitive tasks.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in theta band power, coherence, and phase-amplitude coupling were observed between Dom and Sub mice.
• Dom mice displayed reduced theta coherence and altered theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling between prefrontal and visual cortices, correlating with enhanced memory recall and cognitive flexibility.
• Increased left-to-right visual cortex connectivity in Dom mice during novelty recognition tasks was associated with successful discrimination, a pattern absent in Sub mice.

Conclusions:

• Social rank and stress sensitivity significantly modulate neural activity and connectivity in key brain regions.
• Altered theta-driven neural dynamics contribute to performance variations in cognitive tasks, such as novelty recognition, between dominant and submissive individuals.
• Findings suggest potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for conditions involving stress, social behavior, and cognitive deficits by focusing on theta-driven connectivity.