Identification of neural circuits that control social behavior

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BIG-2 is an axon-associated cell recognition molecule that is involved in neural circuit formation in the brain. Recent studies implicated that BIG-2 is related to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We previously found that BIG-2 knockout mice show increased anxiety in open field test and elevated plus maze test. To identify brain regions responsible for this abnormality, we mapped brain areas that were activated during the behavioral tests. We found that neuronal activity was elevated in parvocellular population of paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVH) in BIG-2 knockout mice after subjected to open field test. As PVH is known to play central roles in stress response, it is suggested that BIG-2 is involved in formation of neural circuits required for proper stress responses in novel environment.