# Mechanisms by which social experience promotes stress resilience

> **NIH NIH R15** · UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE KNOXVILLE · 2020 · $450,220

## Abstract

Project Summary
 Social stress is a risk factor for several stress-related psychopathologies, including post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). Sex differences in coping responses contribute to differences between men and
women in the prevalence and progression of PTSD symptoms. To advance the field of stress neurobiology,
research is needed on the neuronal mechanisms underlying changes in coping behavior and stress resilience.
We have shown that establishing social dominance alters neural and behavioral responses to stress differently
in male and female Syrian hamsters. Also, neurons in the posteroventral portion of the medial amygdala
(MeApv) that send projections to the posterior parts of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTp)
modulate responses to threatening stimuli and contribute to sex differences in social behavior. We propose
that the development of dominance relationships in both males and females leads to greater activity within a
MeA  BNSTp pathway in dominants compared to subordinates. In specific aim 1, we hypothesize that
elevated activity in a MeApv  BNSTp pathway during development of social dominance promotes proactive
coping responses in females and resistance to social defeat stress in males. In addition, we expect that sex
differences arise in the effects of social dominance on stress responsivity because the neural circuits activated
during dominance relationships are reactivated in separate situations in males and females. In specific aim 2,
we hypothesize that social defeat stress reactivates a MeApv  BNSTp pathway in dominant males but not
dominant females, which leads to a sex difference in stress resilience (Specific Aim 2). In sum, this project will
identify cellular mechanisms and neural circuits that contribute to sex differences in coping responses and
stress resilience.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9965559
- **Project number:** 1R15MH122946-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE KNOXVILLE
- **Principal Investigator:** Matthew A Cooper
- **Activity code:** R15 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $450,220
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9965559

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9965559, Mechanisms by which social experience promotes stress resilience (1R15MH122946-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9965559. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*