poster
Amygdalo-hippocampal circuits mediating the integration of vomeronasal information during approach behaviours
Mice rely on olfactory and vomeronasal marks to recognise other individuals, which need to be integrated into the spatial map to encode the identity of other conspecifics in a context-dependent manner. Our objective is to explore the influence of vomeronasal information in the spatial map characterising the functional interconnection between the chemosensory amygdala and the hippocampus. We assessed vomeronasal influence on spatial mapping by presenting male urine to female mice in two exploratory behaviours while recording single-unit activity in the hippocampus. In one experiment, mice explore a virtual labyrinth divided into sectors with specific visual or olfactory contingencies. In the other, we designed a test to study place preference and spatial maps simultaneously, the Enriched Open Field (EOF), where we placed modular pieces in an Open Field to enhance exploration and provide references, and including urine marks in a specific quadrant. The neuronal activity associated with the exploration of the labyrinth showed specific responses to given sectors. These responses include both increased and decreased firing rate usually in the sector where male urine is delivered. In the EOF, in contrast to our expectations, female mice avoid the area where the male left marks. But regarding the neuronal activity, we could identify neurons whose response is associated with male-marked areas. These experiments broaden our knowledge about how neuronal activity links both exploration patterns and specific locations in space in the context of the integration of social cues.