Brain Mechanism Helps Mice Avoid Aggressors, Study Finds

The hormone oxytocin plays a key role in this behavior, linking pain signals to the aggressor's scent and triggering avoidance in future encounters.

Researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine have discovered that a specific part of the brain, the anterior ventrolateral part of the ventromedial hypothalamus (aVMHvl), influences mice's behavior to avoid those that have defeated them in a fight.
The aVMHvl is activated by the release of the hormone oxytocin, often associated with positive behaviors like caregiving, during painful experiences such as getting bitten during a fight.
This process links the pain signals to the aggressor's scent, causing the defeated mouse to avoid the aggressor in future encounters.
The study also found that 24 hours after losing a single fight, social interaction in mice dropped to just 20% of pre-defeat levels.
The findings could have implications for understanding social learning and developing treatments for social disorders in humans, such as autism and social anxiety.