Understanding developmental determinants of social value-based decision making Restricted; Files Only
Garcia-Sifuentes, Yesenia (Fall 2025)
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, animals engage in complex social interactions necessary for the survival of the species. These social interactions have the potential to influence decision making regarding non-social rewards. For example, a couple might routinely visit a restaurant where they had their first date, or a monogamous prairie vole will share his foraged food once he has formed a partner bond. The underlying neural substrates determining how social information motivates future action are still being determined. A second question concerns the developmental building blocks that allow for the integration of social information into decision making behavior in adulthood. Is social experience during early life necessary for adaptive behavior later? This dissertation begins by describing investigations in which rodents were isolated during adolescence and reintegrated into social groups, focusing on long term alterations in social behavior and contributions of the basolateral amygdala and amygdalo-cortical connections. Next, I report that social isolation during adolescence, but not pre-adolescence, induces long term impairments in social value-based decision making in adulthood, regardless of reintegration. Additionally, I report that moderating the neurotrophin receptor tropomyosin receptor kinase B (trkB) in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) is sufficient to rescue deficits in socially mediated decision making following isolation. Lastly, I demonstrate that excess of the FAK-family cell adhesion protein, Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2), in the BLA impacts social discrimination while simultaneously promoting threat detection. This dissertation thus illuminates mechanistic factors that support the development of social value-based decision making, which may provide insight into therapeutic targets for neuropsychiatric disorders in which social value processing is altered.
Table of Contents
1
About this Dissertation
| School | |
|---|---|
| Department | |
| Subfield / Discipline | |
| Degree | |
| Submission | |
| Language |
|
| Research Field | |
| Keyword | |
| Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor | |
| Committee Members |
Primary PDF
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
File download under embargo until 12 January 2032 | 2025-12-12 19:16:55 -0500 | File download under embargo until 12 January 2032 |
Supplemental Files
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Actions |
|---|