Enhanced neuronal activity in the medial prefrontal cortex during social approach behavior

Abstract

Although the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is known to play a crucial role in rodent social behavior, little is known aboutmPFCneural correlates of social behavior. In the present study,weexamined single-neuron activity in themPFCof mice performing a modified version of the three-chamber test. We found that a subset of mPFC neurons elevate discharge rates when approaching a stranger mouse but not when approaching an inanimate object or an empty chamber. Our results reveal mPFC neural activity that is correlated with social approach behavior in a widely used social-interaction paradigm. These findings might be helpful for future investigations ofmPFCneural processes underlying social interaction in health and disease. © 2016 The Authors