A population of Insula neurons encodes for social preference only after acute social isolation in mice

Glangetas C(1), Guillaumin A(2), Ladevèze E(2), Braine A(2), Gauthier M(2)(3),
Bonamy L(2), Doudnikoff E(2), Dhellemmes T(2), Landry M(2), Bézard E(2), Caille
S(4), Taupignon A(2), Baufreton J(2), Georges F(5).

Author information:
(1)Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, IMN, Bordeaux, France.
.
(2)Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, IMN, Bordeaux, France.
(3)Univ. Poitiers, Inserm, LNEC, Poitiers, France.
(4)Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, INCIA, Bordeaux, France.
(5)Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, IMN, Bordeaux, France. .

The Insula functions as a multisensory relay involved in socio-emotional
processing with projections to sensory, cognitive, emotional, and motivational
regions. Notably, the interhemispheric projection from the Insula to the
contralateral Insula is a robust yet underexplored connection. Using viral-based
tracing neuroanatomy, ex vivo and in vivo electrophysiology, in vivo fiber
photometry along with targeted circuit manipulation, we elucidated the nature
and role of InsulaIns communication in social and anxiety processing in mice. In
this study, we 1) characterized the anatomical and molecular profile of the
InsulaIns neurons, 2) demonstrated that stimulation of this neuronal
subpopulation induces excitation in the Insula interhemispheric circuit, 3)
revealed that InsulaIns neurons are essential for social discrimination after
24 h of isolation in male mice. In conclusion, our findings highlight InsulaIns
neurons as a distinct class of neurons within the insula and offer new insights
into the neuronal mechanisms underlying social behavior.

© 2024. The Author(s).

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51389-4
PMCID: PMC11336167
PMID: 39164260 [Indexed for MEDLINE]

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no competing interests.

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