Background: Social behaviour is essential for the survival of most mammalian species and is shaped by sex-dependent genetic and endocrine factors. However, how sex influences brain-wide neural dynamics during social interactions remains poorly understood. Methods: Here, we investigated sex differences in neural activity across a distributed amygdalo-striatal network in freely behaving mice. Using chronically implanted electrode arrays, we simultaneously recorded extracellular activity from multiple amygdalo-striatal regions while mice performed four social discrimination tasks. Neural signals were analysed alongside video-based behavioural tracking and head acceleration measurements. Results: We identified significant sex differences in neural activity that emerged even before social interaction, suggesting distinct anticipatory network states. During social interaction, sex differences were distributed across brain regions and electrophysiological features, but were most consistently expressed in the basolateral amygdala (BLA). Notably, BLA activity exhibited pronounced sex-specific, context- and time-dependent dynamics, particularly during the initial phase of social interaction. These neural differences were associated with variations in behavioural responses and movement dynamics. Conclusions: Together, our findings reveal that sex shapes both baseline and interaction-driven neural activity across the social brain network, and highlight the BLA as a key node underlying sex-specific dynamics of social behaviour.
Phalip, A., Netser, S., Wagner, S.
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