Complex behavioral phenotyping techniques are becoming more prevalent in the field of behavioral neuroscience, and thus methods for manipulating neuronal activity must be adapted to fit into such paradigms. Here, we present a head-mounted, magnetically activated device for wireless optogenetic manipulation that is compact, simple to construct, and suitable for use in group-living mice in an enriched semi-natural arena over several days. Using this device, we demonstrate that repeated activation of oxytocin neurons in male mice can have different effects on pro-social and agonistic behaviors, depending on the social context. Our findings support the social salience hypothesis of oxytocin and emphasize the importance of the environment in the study of social neuromodulators. Our wireless optogenetic device can be easily adapted for use in a variety of behavioral paradigms, which are normally hindered by tethered light delivery or a limited environment.

复杂的行为表型技术在行为神经科学领域变得越来越普遍，因此操纵神经元活动的方法必须适应这种范式。在这里，我们介绍了一种用于无线光遗传学操作的头戴式磁激活设备，该设备紧凑，易于构造，并且适合在几天之内在丰富的半自然环境中用于成群生活的小鼠。使用此设备，我们证明了雄性小鼠中催产素神经元的反复激活可以根据社会背景对亲社会和激动行为产生不同的影响。我们的发现支持催产素的社会显着性假设，并强调环境在社会神经调节剂研究中的重要性。