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[Preprint]. 2024 Nov 21:2024.11.21.624717. [Version 1] doi: 10.1101/2024.11.21.624717

Figure 1:

Figure 1:

Schematic of experimental procedures and timelines.

(A) GRABDA and GCaMP expression and optical fiber placement in the anterior insular cortex. (B) Fiber Photometry recording was performed during each social exposure session. Subjects were exposed to one of two potential social conspecifics during Session A (partner or stranger), followed by a non-social “rest” period. During Session B, subjects were exposed to whichever social stimuli was not introduced in Session A. (C) Viral injection and fiber implantation occurred 3 weeks before the start of the experiment. On Day 0, subjects were randomly assigned to either the same-sex (SS) or opposite-sex (OS) paired groups. SS paired males remained with their same-sex cage mate and were exposed to their cage mate and a stranger during the Day 0 social exposure test. OS paired males were exposed to two novel females during the Day 0 social exposure, with one of these females becoming the subjects’ partner immediately following the test. Social exposure tests also occurred on Days 2 (ST pairing) and 8 (LT pairing). (D) A separate cohort of male subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups: SS housed subjects were never paired with a female, while two OS groups were cohabitated with a female for either 2 days (ST-OS) or 1 week (LT-OS). Brains were collected from all three groups and tissue was used for qRT-PCR analysis. (E) Tissue punches were collected unilaterally through the anterior IC. (F) A partner preference test was used to confirm pair bonding in both OS groups and occurred several hours before subjects were sacrificed.