Mice learned to favour a food odour after meeting another mouse that had eaten it. A peer-reviewed experiment identified a role for oxytocin signalling in the upper part of the lateral septum, a brain region. Local interventions impaired this learning, while the same intervention in the lower region did not have the same effect.
A mouse’s encounter with another mouse altered its later choice between food odours in a peer-reviewed experiment published in PLOS Biology. Researchers examined how oxytocin receptor signalling in the lateral septum, a brain region, supports that socially acquired preference. A demonstrator first ate scented food and then met an observer. The observer’s subsequent choice was compared with the odour preferences measured before the interaction.[1], [2]
Calcium imaging and electrical recordings tracked neural responses to the learned food odour. Chemically silencing neurons in the upper part of the lateral septum impaired acquisition of the preference; the corresponding intervention in its lower part did not produce the same result. More generally increasing activity in the upper region did not further strengthen preference on its own. Local receptor blockade and regional genetic deletion separately supported oxytocin signalling’s involvement.[1]
Cellular experiments found that activating the receptor could increase some neurons’ firing rates. The researchers included additional blockade controls because receptor-targeting compounds can act differently on separate signalling pathways. Early comparisons included both sexes, but most subsequent experiments used females; social interaction, aggression and initial preferences can differ between sexes in this setting. The task concerned controlled mouse interactions and odour-linked food choice. Human dietary behaviour and clinical oxytocin use were not tested.[1]
