Medial Preoptic Area Modulates Courtship Ultrasonic Vocalization in Adult Male Mice

Adult male mice emit highly complex ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in response to female conspecifics. Such USVs, thought to facilitate courtship behaviors, are routinely measured as a behavioral index in mouse models of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders such as autism. While the regulation of USVs by genetic factors has been extensively characterized, the neural mechanisms that control USV production remain largely unknown. Here, we report that optogenetic activation of the medial preoptic area (mPOA) elicited the production of USVs that were acoustically similar to courtship USVs in adult mice. Moreover, mPOA vesicular GABA transporter-positive (Vgat +) neurons were more effective at driving USV production than vesicular glutamate transporter 2-positive neurons. Furthermore, ablation of mPOA Vgat+ neurons resulted in altered spectral features and syllable usage of USVs in targeted males. Together, these results demonstrate that the mPOA plays a crucial role in modulating courtship USVs and this may serve as an entry point for future dissection of the neural circuitry underlying USV production.