Different rat and mouse models are used in studies of social interactions. Simple behavioral
measures, which are commonly used in the laboratory, allow to perform relatively short …

Social hierarchies are ubiquitous features of virtually all animal groups. The varying social
ranks of members within these groups have profound effects on both physical and emotional …

Sex differences and social context independently contribute to the development of stress-
related disorders. However, less is known about how their interplay might influence behavior …

Social hierarchy formation is strongly evolutionarily conserved. Across species, rank within
social hierarchy has large effects on health and behavior. To investigate the relationship …

Social hierarchies emerge when animals compete for access to resources such as food,
mates or physical space. Wild and laboratory male mice have been shown to develop linear …

A tacit assumption in laboratory animal research is that animals housed within the same
cage or pen are phenotypically more similar than animals from different cages or pens, due …

Emerging evidence suggests that hierarchical status provides vulnerability to develop stress-
induced depression. Energy metabolic changes in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) were …

Dominance hierarchy is a fundamental social phenomenon in a wide range of mammalian
species, critically affecting fitness and health. Here, we investigate the role of pheromone …

Depression is a very common psychiatric disorder affecting approximately 300 million
people worldwide with the prevalence being twice as high in women as in men. Despite …

Most social animals self-organize into dominance hierarchies that strongly influence their
behavior and health. The serotonin (5-HT) system is believed to play an important role in the …