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Social Play Behavior

Social play is a behavior that is conserved across many species and appears to be critical for normal development. We investigate the circuitry underlying play as well as the impact of play deprivation during the juvenile period on later behavior.

Results of Play Deprivation

 

In Males [Frontiers in Neuroscience, Marquardt et al, 2023.]:

  • Hypersociability

  • Hyposexuality

  • Increased aggressiveness

In Females:

  • Increased aggressiveness toward a male intruder after birthing pups

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