# Corticothalamic control of social motivation

> **NIH NIH R01** · DREXEL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $376,408

## Abstract

Corticothalamic control of social motivation
Abstract
Social impairments are a common symptom among psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia,
and autism. However, the mechanisms by which the brain processes social information and uses it to guide
social behaviors remain unclear. In humans and rodents, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is thought to exert
top-down inhibitory control over social behaviors, but the distinct neural circuitry involved has yet to be elucidated.
While non-specific global activation of mPFC neurons decreases sociability, recent reports indicate these effects
are mediated by activity changes in the posterior paraventricular thalamus (pPVT), a midline thalamic nucleus
known to play a role in motivated and emotional behaviors. This proposal aims to determine whether parvalbumin
(PV) interneurons in the mPFC gate activity in pPVT-projecting mPFC neurons to regulate social motivation. Our
pilot data indicate that chemogenetic activation of mPFC-pPVT pathway suppressed social motivation in male
but not female mice. Based on this observation, we hypothesize that pPVT-projecting mPFC neurons exert top-
down inhibitory control over social motivation in a sex-specific manner. In male mice, we predict that effective
social engagement requires suppressed activity of the mPFC-pPVT circuit mediated by activation of nearby PV
interneurons. This hypothesis will be tested using a combination of transgenic mice, viral optogenetic constructs,
behavioral testing, in vivo calcium imaging, and patch-clamp recording. Aim 1 will use optogenetics to precisely
activate or inhibit axonal terminals of mPFC neurons in the pPVT to reveal how manipulating this circuit regulates
social motivation. Aim 2 will combine pathway-specific calcium imaging via fiber photometry, chemogenetics,
and transgenic mice to determine whether mPFC-pPVT neurons are silenced during social interaction in a
manner that is dependent on PV interneuron activity. Aim 3 will determine if physiological differences exist in the
mPFC-pPVT circuit between male and female mice. This study will provide the first sex-specific evidence that
the mPFC-pPVT pathway represents a previously overlooked component of the social brain, especially in female
mice, and novel insights into the circuit mechanisms by which the PV interneurons in the mPFC play in the
regulation of social motivation.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10529968
- **Project number:** 1R01MH131053-01
- **Recipient organization:** DREXEL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Wen-Jun Gao
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $376,408
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-07 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10529968

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10529968, Corticothalamic control of social motivation (1R01MH131053-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10529968. Licensed CC0.

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