ETD

• dorsal peduncular cortex
• emotion discrimination
• in vivo fiber photometry
• interbrain synchronization
• multibrain recordings
• pyramidal neurons
• social behavior

Social behavior is a complex process wherein interacting agents form a coupled dynamical system navigating a shared social dimension, relying heavily on emotions as critical cues. While multibrain recordings indicate that social exchanges involve interbrain neuronal synchronization, the precise neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in empathy-like phenomena and affective state processing; our data suggest ACC somatostatin (SOM) and pyramidal (PYR) neurons regulate emotion-based social preferences in mice. We identified that long-range projecting ACC SOM neurons target the dorsal peduncular cortex (DP), a ventral medial prefrontal cortex hub that integrates exteroceptive and interoceptive inputs, projecting to cortical, hypothalamic, and brainstem structures.
Here, we investigated the DP’s role in interbrain correlations and emotion discrimination in mice. Concurrent multibrain photometry recordings of DP PYR neurons during free interaction showed emergent interbrain synchronization directly tied to active social contact, independent of shared sensory experience. Furthermore, DP PYR responses to social approach were time-dependently modulated by the interactors' affective states. Finally, parallel multibrain photometry recordings during an emotion discrimination task revealed interbrain correlation signatures between mice sharing a neutral emotional state. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the DP's involvement in cross-brain coupling and emotional context-dependent social decision-making.