Neural Mechanisms of Social Homeostasis: Dynamic Range Plasticity

Abstract

To address the open question of how animals respond to dynamic changes in their social environment, we propose a framework in which cumulative effects of previous experience inform a key mechanism to regulate the bounds within which social experiences can vary without activating costly, corrective mechanisms. We define this as the dynamic range. By leveraging insights from human studies and animal models, future research will contribute to our understanding of the intricate neural underpinnings that mediate social behavior. Key questions facing the field of social neuroscience include the following: How do experienced statistics of the environment calibrate neural circuits that regulate social behavior? What neural mechanisms allow some individuals to better adapt to dynamic environments than others? How does social homeostasis interact with other homeostatic systems, such as the stress response? This framework provides a testable model for investigating the neural mechanisms through which history calibrates the dynamic range within detector, control center, and effector systems of social homeostasis.