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Experience-dependent modulation of prosocial touch in mice
Yuhan Sun1, Weizhe Hong1,2,3, Ye Emily Wu1,2
1Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Iscience
|March 19, 2026
Summary
Mice that received prosocial touch after stress groomed stressed partners more. This experience-dependent prosocial behavior relies on tactile sensation and activates specific brain regions involved in social touch.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Biology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Prosocial behaviors are crucial for social cohesion.
- The impact of prior experiences on future prosocial actions is not well understood.
- Mice exhibit prosocial touch (allogrooming) towards distressed partners.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how receiving prosocial touch influences future prosocial behavior in mice.
- To explore the sensory and neural mechanisms underlying this experience-dependent modulation of prosocial touch.
Main Methods:
- Mice received prosocial allogrooming following a stressor.
- Subsequent allogrooming behavior towards stressed partners was quantified.
- Peripheral tactile sensation was attenuated during prosocial contact.
- Neuronal activation in the posterior intralaminar thalamic nucleus was measured.
Main Results:
- Mice that received prosocial contact showed enhanced allogrooming towards stressed partners.
- The amount of prosocial contact received predicted the amount displayed later.
- Reduced tactile sensation diminished the impact of prior prosocial contact.
- Prosocial contact receipt increased neuronal activation in the posterior intralaminar thalamic nucleus.
Conclusions:
- Prior prosocial touch experience enhances future prosocial behavior in mice.
- Somatosensation plays a critical role in mediating the effects of prosocial touch.
- The posterior intralaminar thalamic nucleus is involved in processing social touch and regulating prosocial behavior.
