For many social behaviours (such as mating or collaboration), selecting a social partner or partners of a specific sex maximizes the benefits of the interaction. This selection is influenced by both an animal’s internal drives (such as reproduction) and external context (such as the presence of threats). In a recent paper, Wei et al. reveal the sexually dimorphic mesolimbic dopamine (DA) pathways that underlie sociosexual preferences in mice.

Using a three-chamber social interaction assay, the authors showed that, in control conditions, both male and female mice interacted more with a female conspecific than a male. However, in the presence of cues associated with ‘survival stressors’ — such as the predator-related odour trimethylthiazoline (TMT) — their preference switched to males. Using a combination of FOS staining, Ca2+ recordings and chemogenetics, the authors showed that the change in sex preference is driven by an increase in the activity of DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTADA neurons) in both male and female mice.