Fig. 1: vmPFC-NAcSh activity is modulated by hierarchical status in social competitions.
a Schematic of strategy for recording calcium activity from ventromedial prefrontal cortex cell bodies projecting to the nucleus accumbens shell (vmPFC-NAcSh) during tube test assay. Created with BioRender.com. b Representative images of fiber-optic tract and GCaMP6s expression in vmPFC-NAcSh cell bodies and terminals. Images modified from the Allen Reference Atlas—Mouse Brain75. c Schematic demonstrating tube test behaviors and classification of hierarchy based on within-cage rank. Created with BioRender.com. d Increased push rate in dominant mice against subordinate partners compared with subordinate mice against dominant partners. Welch’s unpaired t test, T(173.3) = 2.46, *p < 0.015. (N = Sub vs Dom: 92 bouts, Dom vs Sub: 92 bouts, from 16 mice). e Increased retreat rate in subordinate mice against dominant partners compared with dominant mice against subordinate partners. Welch’s unpaired t test, T(117.3) = 11.96, ****p < 0.0001. (N = Sub vs Dom: 90 bouts, Dom vs Sub: 91 bouts, from 16 mice). f Photometry trace of vmPFC-NAcSh activity during tube test assay. g Heatmap of vmPFC-NAcSh activity during all push events for all subordinate and dominant mice. h Mean vmPFC-NAcSh calcium activity centered on initiation of push separated by subordinate mice pushing a dominant competitor and dominant mice pushing a subordinate competitor. i Increased mean amplitude of vmPFC-NAcSh activity in subordinate mice pushing a dominant competitor vs dominant mice pushing a subordinate competitor. Linear mixed-effects model (LMM), T(42) = –2.98, **p = 0.005 for main effect of group on mean amplitude (N = subordinate group: 18 events from 6 mice; dominant group: 26 events from 7 mice). j Mean vmPFC-NAcSh calcium activity centered on initiation of retreat behavior separated by subordinate vs dominant or dominant vs subordinate bouts. k No group differences in vmPFC-NAcSh activity during retreat behaviors. LMM, T(88) = 0.235, p = 0.815 for main effect of group on mean amplitude (N = subordinate: 75 events from 6 mice; dominant: 15 events from 6 mice). l Mean vmPFC-NAcSh calcium activity centered on initiation of resist behavior separated by subordinate vs dominant or dominant vs subordinate bouts. m No group differences in vmPFC-NAcSh activity during resist behaviors. LMM, T(45) = −1.113, p = 0.272 (N = subordinate: 31 events from 6 mice; dominant: 16 events from 7 mice). All error bars equal mean ± SEM.
