Different rat and mouse models are used in studies of social interactions. Simple behavioral measures, which are commonly used in the laboratory, allow to perform relatively short experiments and to use multiple brain manipulation techniques. However, too much focus on the simplest behavioral models generates a serious risk of reducing ecological validity or even studying phenomena which would never happen outside of the laboratory. In this review, we discuss the suitability of mice and rats as model organisms for studying social behaviors, with focus on social transmission of fear paradigms. First, we briefly introduce the concept of domestication and what impact it had on laboratory rodents. Then, we present two aspects of social behaviors, sociability and dominance, which are crucial for social organization in these species. Finally, we present experimental models used for studying how animals transmit information about danger between each other, and how these models may reflect what happens in the natural environment. We discuss the difficulties that arise from our limited knowledge of rat and mouse ecology, especially their social life. We also explore the subject of balancing ecological validity and controllability in rodent models of social behaviors, the latter being particularly important for studying brain activity. Although it is very challenging, an efficient program for social neuroscience research should, in our opinion, aim at bridging the gap between laboratory and field studies.
In contrast to easily formed fear memories, fear extinction requires prolonged training. The prelimbic cortex (PL), which integrates signals from brain structures involved in fear conditioning and extinction such as the ventral hippocampus (vHIP) and the basolateral amygdala (BL), is necessary for fear memory retrieval. Little is known, however, about how the vHIP and BL inputs to the PL regulate the display of fear after fear extinction. Using functional anatomy tracing in male rats, we found two distinct subpopulations of neurons in the PL activated by either the successful extinction or the relapse of fear. During the retrieval of fear extinction memory, the dominant input to active neurons in the PL was from the vHIP, whereas the retrieval of fear memory, regardless of the age of a memory and testing context, was associated with greater BL input. Optogenetic stimulation of the vHIP-PL pathway after one session of fear extinction increased conditioned fear, whereas stimulation of the vHIP inputs after several sessions of extinction decreased the conditioned fear response. This latter effect was, however, transient, as stimulation of this pathway 28 d after extinction increased conditioned fear response again. The results show that repeated fear extinction training gradually changes vHIP-PL connectivity, making fear suppression possible, whereas in the absence of fear suppression from the vHIP, signals from the BL can play a dominant role, resulting in high levels of fear.
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