A01: The neural code of stimulus-triggered territorial aggression

A unique experimental model will be used to study the neurobiological basis of aggressive animal behavior and translate novel findings about its cellular and circuit underpinnings into human phenotypes of pathological aggression. Specifically, the post-weaning social isolation model of early-life adverse experience allows experimental access to dissect the ‘switch’ from functional adaptive aggression to excessive pathological aggressive behavior. In male mice, conspecific chemostimuli trigger innate aggressive behavior. The relevant aggression-promoting circuits along the(sensory) input to (aggressive) output axis comprise the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), a hub for processing of social chemosignals, and the medial amygdala (MeA), a crucial control centre for regulation of aggressive behavior. Therefore, this project addresses the principles that govern aggression-promoting information transfer along the AOB-to-MeA signaling pathway.