Sexually dimorphic dopaminergic circuits determine sex preference

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Wei, Anqi; Zhao, Anran; Zheng, Chaowen; Dong, Nan; Cheng, Xu; Duan, Xueting; Zhong, Shuaijie; Liu, Xiaoying; Jian, Jie; Qin, Yuhao; Yang, Yuxin; Gu, Yuhao; Wang, Bianbian; Gooya, Niki; Huo, Jingxiao; Yao, Jingyu; Li, Weiwei; Huang, Kai; Liu, Haiyao; Mao, Fenghan; Wang, Ruolin; Shao, Mingjie; Wang, Botao; Zhang, Yichi; Chen, Yang; Song, Qian; Huang, Rong; Qu, Qiumin; Zhang, Chunxiang; Kang, Xinjiang; Xu, Huadong; Wang, Changhe
• 署名单位: Xi'an Jiaotong University; Southwest Medical University; Southwest Medical University; Southwest Medical University; Liaocheng University; Johns Hopkins University; Xi'an Medical University; Xi'an Jiaotong University
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-8502
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adq7001
• 发表日期: 2025-01-10
• 关键词: neural circuit; nucleus-accumbens; neurons; AREA; hypothalamus; EVOLUTION; DYNAMICS; BEHAVIOR; brains

摘要

Sociosexual preference is critical for reproduction and survival. However, neural mechanisms encoding social decisions on sex preference remain unclear. In this study, we show that both male and female mice exhibit female preference but shift to male preference when facing survival threats; their preference is mediated by the dimorphic changes in the excitability of ventral tegmental area dopaminergic (VTA(DA)) neurons. In males, VTA(DA) projections to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) mediate female preference, and those to the medial preoptic area mediate male preference. In females, firing-pattern (phasic-like versus tonic-like) alteration of the VTA(DA)-NAc projection determines sociosexual preferences. These findings define VTA(DA) neurons as a key node for social decision-making and reveal the sexually dimorphic DA circuit mechanisms underlying sociosexual preference.