Neural dynamics of emergent social roles in collective foraging by mice

Abstract

Abstract We investigated how neural dynamics support role differentiation in group foraging by mice cohabiting with a predator-like spider robot serving as a mobile food platform. While solitary foraging behaviors were consistent among mice, group foraging revealed distinct roles–working, participating, and freeriding–that solidified over time, leading to an imbalance (Gini = 0.5) across five groups. Recordings from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc), and basolateral amygdala (BLA) revealed enhanced beta power in active foragers. Workers exhibited a stronger fast beta drive from mPFC to BLA compared to participants, and role prediction accuracy based on spectral features improved over trials. Our findings highlight how neural dynamics underlie the emergence of distinct roles in collective action by mice. One-Sentence Summary Distinct foraging roles emerge in group-housed mice, driven by fast beta (24–32 Hz) activity in the mPFC-NAc-BLA circuit.