Integrating pheromonal and spatial information in the amygdalo-hippocampal network

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 5286
• Main Authors: Villafranca-Faus, María, Vila-Martín, Manuel Esteban, Esteve, Daniel, Merino, Esteban, Teruel-Sanchis, Anna, Cervera-Ferri, Ana, Martínez-Ricós, Joana, Lloret, Ana, Lanuza, Enrique, Teruel-Martí, Vicent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 06.09.2021; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Amygdala; Amygdala - cytology; Amygdala - physiology; Animals; Anosmia; Anosmia - genetics; Anosmia - metabolism; Anosmia - physiopathology; Behavior, Animal; CA1 Region, Hippocampal - cytology; CA1 Region, Hippocampal - physiology; Causality; Circuits; Cognitive ability; Cognitive maps; Cortex (entorhinal); Cotton; Female; Females; Frequency ranges; Gene Expression Regulation; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta - genetics; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta - metabolism; Hippocampal plasticity; Hippocampus; Learning; Learning - physiology; Male; Males; Memory; Mice; Nerve Net - cytology; Nerve Net - physiology; Neuronal Plasticity - physiology; Neurons - cytology; Neurons - metabolism; Olfaction disorders; Olfactory Perception - physiology; Pheromones - metabolism; Plasticity; Proteins; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - genetics; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Social Perception; Space Perception - physiology; Spatial Behavior - physiology; Spatial data; Spatial discrimination learning; Substrates; Synaptic plasticity; Territorial behavior; Theta Rhythm - physiology; Theta rhythms; Urine; Virtual environments; Virtual reality; Vomeronasal Organ - cytology; Vomeronasal Organ - physiology
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25442-5

Vomeronasal information is critical in mice for territorial behavior. Consequently, learning the territorial spatial structure should incorporate the vomeronasal signals indicating individual identity into the hippocampal cognitive map. In this work we show in mice that navigating a virtual environment induces synchronic activity, with causality in both directionalities, between the vomeronasal amygdala and the dorsal CA1 of the hippocampus in the theta frequency range. The detection of urine stimuli induces synaptic plasticity in the vomeronasal pathway and the dorsal hippocampus, even in animals with experimentally induced anosmia. In the dorsal hippocampus, this plasticity is associated with the overexpression of pAKT and pGSK3β. An amygdalo-entorhino-hippocampal circuit likely underlies this effect of pheromonal information on hippocampal learning. This circuit likely constitutes the neural substrate of territorial behavior in mice, and it allows the integration of social and spatial information.