ArticleNature2016
Basal forebrain projections to the lateral habenula modulate aggression reward.
Article in Nature, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 130 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
130 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 258 citations in OpenAlex.
- Coordination of social behaviors by the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis.The European journal of neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Hypothalamic representation of aggressiveness across mouse strains.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Neural basis of social hierarchy across species.Nature reviews. Neuroscience · 2026Review
- NADPH oxidase-1 suppression prolongs the antidepressant-like effect of ketamine.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Neuroanatomical and behavioral characterization of corticotropin-releasing factor-expressing lateral Habenula neurons in mice.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Neuroanatomical and behavioral characterization of corticotropin releasing factor-expressing lateral Habenula neurons in mice.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Attack Repertoires in Outbred Male CD1-Mice Are Associated with Nucleus Accumbens Neuroligin-2.eNeuro · 2026Article
- Dopamine modulation of aggression.Psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Lateral hypothalamus to dorsal raphe nucleus projections modulate intraspecific attack behavior in male mice.iScience · 2026Article
- Repeated Stress Escalates Aggression and Activity in Fronto-Limbic Regions in Cntnap2Genes, brain, and behavior · 2026Article
- Early-life inflammation increases aggressive behavior in adult male mice through an astrocyte-neuron signaling.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- The lateral habenula as a master regulator of innate and learned social behaviors.Psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Glutamatergic projection neurons in the basal forebrain underlie learned olfactory associational valence assignments.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Thalamo-hippocampal pathway determines aggression and self-harm.Science advances · 2025Article
- Tachykinin 1-expressing neurons in the lateral habenula signal negative reward prediction error.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Maternal aggression driven by the transient mobilisation of a dormant hormone-sensitive circuit.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Neurotransmitter Genes in the Nucleus Accumbens That Are Involved in the Development of a Behavioral Pathology After Positive Fighting Experiences and Their Deprivation: A Conceptual Paradigm for Data Analysis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Brain circuits that regulate social behavior.Molecular psychiatry · 2025Review
- Article
- Dynamic changes of serotonin transporter expression in the prefrontal cortex evoked by aggressive social interactions.Neurobiology of stress · 2025Article
70 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
20 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Maladaptive aggressive behaviour is associated with a number of neuropsychiatric disorders and is thought to result partly from the inappropriate activation of brain reward systems in response to aggressive or violent social stimuli. Nuclei within the ventromedial hypothalamus, extended amygdala and limbic circuits are known to encode initiation of aggression; however, little is known about the neural mechanisms that directly modulate the motivational component of aggressive behaviour. Here we established a mouse model to measure the valence of aggressive inter-male social interaction with a smaller subordinate intruder as reinforcement for the development of conditioned place preference (CPP). Aggressors develop a CPP, whereas non-aggressors develop a conditioned place aversion to the intruder-paired context. Furthermore, we identify a functional GABAergic projection from the basal forebrain (BF) to the lateral habenula (lHb) that bi-directionally controls the valence of aggressive interactions. Circuit-specific silencing of GABAergic BF-lHb terminals of aggressors with halorhodopsin (NpHR3.0) increases lHb neuronal firing and abolishes CPP to the intruder-paired context. Activation of GABAergic BF-lHb terminals of non-aggressors with channelrhodopsin (ChR2) decreases lHb neuronal firing and promotes CPP to the intruder-paired context. Finally, we show that altering inhibitory transmission at BF-lHb terminals does not control the initiation of aggressive behaviour. These results demonstrate that the BF-lHb circuit has a critical role in regulating the valence of inter-male aggressive behaviour and provide novel mechanistic insight into the neural circuits modulating aggression reward processing.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.