Publication/suto 2026 social memory valence updating

Journal Article · Science · 2026

Neural circuits for valence updating in social memory

N. Suto,M. Wang,S. Morikawa,M. Chung,K. Tao,Z. Huang,Y. Ikegaya,H. Takeuchi,S. Kira,T. Okuyama

Science (2026).

DOI: 10.1126/science.adx8231 Publisher

Abstract

Social animals recognize familiar conspecifics and selectivelyavoid harmful ones. As social relationships shift, continuousupdating of social valence is essential, yet the underlying neuralmechanisms remain unclear. Here, by artificially transforming apreviously neutral conspecific into an aggressive one, we showthat valence updating depends on enhanced synapticconnectivity and physiological changes within the hippocampalventral CA1 (vCA1)–basolateral amygdala (BlA)–nucleusaccumbens (NAc) circuit. Following defeat, social memoryengram neurons in the vCA1 strengthened their connectionswith BlA neurons carrying negative valence. The vCA1–BlA–NAcneural circuit flexibly regulates adaptive social behaviors.

Miniscope experiments documented from this paper

Mouse basolateral amygdala imaging of Rspo2 neurons during social valence updatingBasolateral amygdala· Mouse· GRIN lens

Mouse nucleus accumbens imaging of D1R and D2R neurons during social valence updatingNucleus accumbens· Mouse· GRIN lens

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