Amei Shank

Abstract Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5HT) has long been considered anti-aggressive, but the mechanisms by which 5HT regulates downstream circuits to control aggression remain unclear. Combining fiber photometry, optogenetics, and miniaturized microscope recordings in double-transgenic male mice, we find that 5HT levels ramp up in the nucleus accumbens during aggression, inhibiting a subset of D1 medium spiny neurons to suppress attacks.

Highlights • Mouse dentate granule cells respond strongly to spatial sensory cues on a treadmill • Cue cells emerge faster and are more stable than place cells • Cue cells are weakly modulated by location and place cells by spatially invariant cues • Cue responses lead to inhibition of other granule cells in the local population Summary During exploration, animals form an internal map of an environment by combining information about landmarks and the animal’s movement, a process that depends...