Impaired social interest and social withdrawal are classic features in many psychiatric disorders – including depression, posttraumatic stress, and anxiety disorders – and are an especially debilitating aspect of these conditions. Women are twice as likely to suffer from mood disorders as men, however the neurobiological basis of mood disturbance in females is relatively understudied. Stress is a common factor that can lead to the development of multiple psychiatric disorders. However, while a wealth of research has been conducted on the influence of the mesolimbic dopamine system using social defeat or chronic mild stress in male mice, comparatively little is known about how non-social stressors impact females.

In this talk, I will present recent findings from our lab demonstrating how exposure to a non-social stressor can alter the influence of the mesolimbic dopamine system on social interaction behavior in female mice.

These findings may provide crucial new details about the fundamental neurobiological principles mediating social interaction and anti-social behavior in females. Establishing an understanding of how communication among neurons can influence communication among individuals will lay the groundwork necessary for determining what happens when those communications go awry.