Social experience and sex-dependent regulation of aggression in the lateral septum by extrasynaptic δGABA A receptors

Rationale Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms mediating dominance and competitive aggression is essential to understanding the development and treatment of various psychiatric disorders. Previous research suggests that these mechanisms are both sexually differentiated and influenced substantially by social experience. In numerous species, GABAA receptors in the lateral septum have been shown to play a significant role in aggression in males. However, very little is known about the role of these GABAA receptors in female aggression, the role of social experience on GABAA receptor–mediated aggression, or the roles of different GABAA subtypes in regulating aggression.