Understanding how the brain drives social behaviors like aggression.
Official title: Decoding the specificity of social drives
Funded at Princeton University · NIH-11127375 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how a part of the brain affects social behaviors like aggression and mating by observing how animals make choices about social rewards, helping us understand what drives these behaviors in both animals and humans.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Fellowship grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Princeton University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Princeton, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | April 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $79,284 |
| NIH project number | 5F32MH136673-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11127375 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for participation or benefit from this research would include individuals with conditions related to aggression or social behavior disorders.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not exhibit social behavior disorders or aggression-related issues may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how specific areas of the brain, particularly the ventrolateral area, influence social behaviors such as aggression and mating. By using a unique experimental setup, researchers will observe how animals choose between different social rewards, allowing them to explore the motivations behind these behaviors. The study employs advanced neural recording techniques to capture brain activity during these social interactions, aiming to determine whether the brain encodes motivations specific to certain social actions or if these motivations are more generalized. Insights from this research could enhance our understanding of social behavior in both animals and humans.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to better understanding and treatment of social behavior disorders in humans.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown success in understanding brain mechanisms related to social behaviors, making this approach promising yet still exploratory.
Where this research is happening
-
Princeton University
Princeton, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mack, Nancy Rose — Princeton University
- Study coordinator: Mack, Nancy Rose
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.