Stable clique membership in male mouse societies requires oxytocin-enabled social sensory states
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- 2Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany
- 3Department Neuropeptide Research in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- 4Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany. [email protected]
- 5Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Mainz, Johannes-Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. [email protected]
Abstract
The ability to form stable de novo relationships in complex environments is essential for social functioning and is impaired in severe psychiatric disorders including autism. Yet, the neurobiological basis and cognitive processes enabling the formation of stable bonds in larger groups remain poorly understood, thereby limiting our ability to develop effective therapies. Here, we establish a semi-naturalistic model of clique formation in mouse societies, where individuals are tracked longitudinally from massive video data. Small, stable rich-clubs develop within these mouse social networks. Consistent with human rich-clubs, these cohesive cliques tended to have high social rank and exerted influence on non-members. Interestingly, neither prior rich-club-membership in a different group nor kinship facilitated entry into rich-clubs. Mimicking sparse population genetics, we probed the open question whether a subtle neuro-cognitive phenotype, namely impaired induction of social sensory processing states by cortical oxytocin signaling, disrupts higher-order social bonding in these complex social environments. Despite preserved social motivation, mice with alterations in this oxytocin subsystem failed to join rich-clubs. They approached group members less consistently, and connections from others towards them fluctuated more as well. This reciprocal disorganization highlights how interactional dynamics within social networks can amplify individual-level deficits, consistent with models of emergent properties of social behavior. These findings underscore the role of oxytocin in tuning sensory systems into a social processing state. Its dysfunction affects an individual’s ability to establish stable relationships in complex social networks, with profound implications for social functioning deficits in psychiatric disorders.
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BibTeX
@article{nelias2026stable,
title = {{Stable clique membership in male mouse societies requires oxytocin-enabled social sensory states}},
author = {Corentin Nelias and Sarah Ghanayem and David Wolf and Marcel Moor and Danai Nikolantonaki and Eda Dilara Turgut and Max F. Scheller and Valery Grinevich and Jonathan Reinwald and Wolfgang Kelsch},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-76841-5},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76841-5},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Stable clique membership in male mouse societies requires oxytocin-enabled social sensory states
AU - Corentin Nelias
AU - Sarah Ghanayem
AU - David Wolf
AU - Marcel Moor
AU - Danai Nikolantonaki
AU - Eda Dilara Turgut
AU - Max F. Scheller
AU - Valery Grinevich
AU - Jonathan Reinwald
AU - Wolfgang Kelsch
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/17
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-76841-5
UR - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76841-5
AB - The ability to form stable de novo relationships in complex environments is essential for social functioning and is impaired in severe psychiatric disorders including autism. Yet, the neurobiological basis and cognitive processes enabling the formation of stable bonds in larger groups remain poorly understood, thereby limiting our ability to develop effective therapies. Here, we establish a semi-naturalistic model of clique formation in mouse societies, where individuals are tracked longitudinally from massive video data. Small, stable rich-clubs develop within these mouse social networks. Consistent with human rich-clubs, these cohesive cliques tended to have high social rank and exerted influence on non-members. Interestingly, neither prior rich-club-membership in a different group nor kinship facilitated entry into rich-clubs. Mimicking sparse population genetics, we probed the open question whether a subtle neuro-cognitive phenotype, namely impaired induction of social sensory processing states by cortical oxytocin signaling, disrupts higher-order social bonding in these complex social environments. Despite preserved social motivation, mice with alterations in this oxytocin subsystem failed to join rich-clubs. They approached group members less consistently, and connections from others towards them fluctuated more as well. This reciprocal disorganization highlights how interactional dynamics within social networks can amplify individual-level deficits, consistent with models of emergent properties of social behavior. These findings underscore the role of oxytocin in tuning sensory systems into a social processing state. Its dysfunction affects an individual’s ability to establish stable relationships in complex social networks, with profound implications for social functioning deficits in psychiatric disorders.
SN - 2041-1723
ER -