The lateral septum mediates kinship behavior in the rat

Nat Commun. 2020 Jun 22;11(1):3161. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-16489-x.

Abstract

Evolutionary theory and behavioral biology suggest that kinship is an organizing principle of social behavior. The neural mechanisms that mediate kinship behavior are, however, not known. Experiments confirm a sibling-approach preference in young rat pups and a sibling-avoidance-preference in older pups. Lesions of the lateral septum eliminate such kin preferences. In vivo juxta-cellular and whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in the lateral septum show multisensory neuronal responses to kin and non-kin stimuli. Non-kin odor-responsive neurons are located dorsally and kin-odor responsive neurons are located ventrally in the lateral septum. With development, the fraction of kin-responsive lateral septal neurons decrease and ongoing firing rates increase. Lesion effects, developmental changes and the ordered representation of response preferences according to kinship-an organization we refer to as nepotopy-point to a key role of the lateral septum in organizing mammalian kinship behavior.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal / physiology
  • Male
  • Neurons
  • Patch-Clamp Techniques
  • Rats
  • Septum of Brain / physiology*
  • Social Behavior*