An oxytocin-gated circuit from the hypothalamus silences olfactory tubercle neurons to drive prosocial grooming
YanBiao Zhong, Jian Yang, Yize Qi, Lulu Guo, Haiping Wang, Ding Wang, Xinhan Lin, Maoyuan Wang, Haishui Shi, Xinyu Nan, Haixuan Xu, Guanqing Li, Dawei Wang, Minghong Ma, Jian Mao, , Yun Feng Zhang
The paper identifies an oxytocinergic circuit from the paraventricular hypothalamus to the medial olfactory tubercle that drives prosocial grooming in mice by inhibiting mOT neurons via OXTR and GIRK channels.
bioRxiv · Mar 28, 2026 · PreprintNeuroscience