Neuroligin3 and dopamine are required for a response to social isolation, but recovery is complex and sex-specific.
Authors: Ryley T Yost; Branden Walshe-Roussel; Anne F Simon
Affiliation: University of Western Ontario
Keywords: a. neurotransmitters; r. circuits
Social isolation causes profound changes in social behaviour in a variety of species including humans, monkeys, mice, bees, and vinegar flies. However, the genetic and molecular mechanisms modulating behavioural responses to both social isolation and social recovery remain to be elucidated. Here, we quantified the behavioural response of vinegar flies to social isolation using the flies’ social space preference. Flies with a loss of function of neuroligin3 (ortholog of autism-related neuroligin genes) with known increased social space in socially enriched environment, responded similarly to their genetically matched control to both social isolation and recovery. We next used a UAS-TH-RNAi driver in all neurons to investigate the role of dopamine, another known modulator of a response to social isolation. We show that dopamine is important for a response to social isolation and recovery in males but not in females. Furthermore, only in males, dopamine levels are reduced after isolation and are not recovered after group housing. Finally, in socially enriched flies with a loss of function of neuroligin3, dopamine levels are reduced in males, but not in females. We will share a model to explain how dopamine and neuroligin3 are involved in the behavioural response to social isolation and its recovery in a dynamic and sex-specific manner.