Social Organization and Individual Variability in Neural Adaptation and Psychiatric Vulnerability – Social-VIP

Social organisms interact and coordinate their behaviors to form a social organization—a structured model of relationships, roles, and interactions within a group. Understanding how these processes shape behavioral variation, role specialization, and influence individual mental health remains a major challenge. While the general effects of social organization on variation and specialization are well documented, the underlying behavioral and neurophysiological mechanisms remain largely unexplored due to the complexity of studying them in controlled and artificial environments. Recent advances in tracking mice in semi-natural environments (SnEs) provide a unique opportunity to bridge this gap, allowing us to study how different forms of social organization, such as division of labor, contribute to individual variability and the emergence of vulnerability. This proposal aims to deliver a comprehensive and experimental view of individual behavior in mouse microsocieties exhibiting labor division. We will study male and female mice living in SnEs using advanced behavioral tracking technology and electrophysiological analysis to investigate division of labor and understand how it shapes brain function and individual adaptation. We will evaluate the role of the dopaminergic system—known for its involvement in reinforcement learning—in both the consolidation and flexibility of social roles. We will also explore the contribution of the prefrontal cortex in monitoring social behaviors and decision-making. Finally, we will test whether this social specialization modulates nicotine responses, and whether distinct behavioral profiles are associated with increased vulnerability to addiction. By integrating behavioral, neurophysiological, and computational approaches, this project offers an original perspective on how social experience shapes individual trajectories in relation to mental health. It introduces a conceptual advance by showing that social organization is not merely a reflection of individual preferences but engages plasticity processes that may restrict behavioral flexibility and increase vulnerability to psychiatric disorders.