ArticleNature communications2021
Dopamine promotes aggression in mice via ventral tegmental area to lateral septum projections.
Article in Nature communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 84 citations in OpenAlex.
- Hypothalamic representation of aggressiveness across mouse strains.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Tail-rattling in rodents: more than a threat display.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2026Review
- POINTseq: Cell-type-specific barcoding reveals single-cell projection architecture of the mouse dopaminergic system.Neuron · 2026Article
- Dopamine modulation of aggression.Psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Cell type-specific barcoding reveals the single-neuron projectional architecture of the mouse midbrain dopaminergic system.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Repeated Stress Escalates Aggression and Activity in Fronto-Limbic Regions in Cntnap2Genes, brain, and behavior · 2026Article
- Serotonin modulates nucleus accumbens circuits to suppress aggression in mice.Nature communications · 2026Article
- The Role of the Ventral Tegmental Area in Reward and Addiction: A Comprehensive Review.Neurosciences (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) · 2026Review
- Blame the Player, Not the Game? How Perceived Institutional Inequality Predicts Displaced Aggression.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Serotonin modulates nucleus accumbens circuits to suppress aggression.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Alcohol Facilitates Social Dominance Via Activating Dopamine 1 Receptor-expressing Neurons in the Lateral Septum of Male Mice.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
- Dysfunction of the rostral lateral septum GABAergic neurons induces mania-like behavior in male mice.Translational psychiatry · 2025Article
- How dopamine guides our social world.Pharmacological reviews · 2025Review
- Influence of Gonadal and Chromosomal Sex on the Brain Transcriptome in a Mouse Species with Natural Sex Reversal.Molecular biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Monoamine neurochemistry, behavior, and microhabitat contribute to male coquí frog modes: silent, territorial, and paternal.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2025Article
- Article
- Review: Dopamine, Serotonin, and the Translational Neuroscience of Aggression in Autism Spectrum Disorder.JAACAP open · 2025Review
- Article
- Interactions of sex and stress in modulation of ventral tegmental area dopaminergic activity.Current opinion in behavioral sciences · 2025Article
- Chronic Pain and Comorbid Emotional Disorders: Neural Circuitry and Neuroimmunity Pathways.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Septal-hypothalamic neuronal activity centrally mediates aggressive behavior and dopamine system hyperactivity is associated with elevated aggression. However, the causal role of dopamine in aggression and its target circuit mechanisms are largely unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we studied the modulatory role of the population- and projection-specific dopamine function in a murine model of aggressive behavior. We find that terminal activity of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic neurons selectively projecting to the lateral septum (LS) is sufficient for promoting aggression and necessary for establishing baseline aggression. Within the LS, dopamine acts on D2-receptors to inhibit GABAergic neurons, and septal D2-signaling is necessary for VTA dopaminergic activity to promote aggression. Collectively, our data reveal a powerful modulatory influence of dopaminergic synaptic input on LS function and aggression, effectively linking the clinically pertinent hyper-dopaminergic model of aggression with the classic septal-hypothalamic aggression axis.
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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.