Advances in understanding neural mechanisms of social dominance

Tingting Zhou; Carmen Sandi; Hailan Hu

doi:10.1016/j.conb.2018.01.006

Advances in understanding neural mechanisms of social dominance

Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2018 Apr:49:99-107. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.01.006. Epub 2018 Feb 8.

Authors

Tingting Zhou¹, Carmen Sandi², Hailan Hu³

Affiliations

¹ Center for Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, School of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China; Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310013, PR China; Institute of Neuroscience and State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, PR China.
² Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland. Electronic address: carmen.sandi@epfl.ch.
³ Center for Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology of the Ministry of Health of China, School of Medicine, Interdisciplinary Institute of Neuroscience and Technology, Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China; Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310013, PR China. Electronic address: huhailan@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 29428628
DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.01.006

Abstract

Dominance hierarchy profoundly impacts social animals' survival, physical and mental health and reproductive success. As the measurements of dominance hierarchy in rodents become established, it is now possible to understand the neural mechanism mediating the intrinsic and extrinsic factors determining social hierarchy. This review summarizes the latest advances in assay development for measuring dominance hierarchy in laboratory mice. It also reviews our current understandings on how activity and plasticity of specific neural circuits shape the dominance trait and mediate the 'winner effect'.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Brain / physiology*
Humans
Mice
Models, Animal
Neural Pathways / physiology*
Neurons / physiology*
Social Dominance*