Tachykininergic Neurons Modulate the Activity of Two Groups of Receptor-Expressing Neurons to Regulate Aggressive Tone.

Neuropeptides influence animal behaviors through complex molecular and cellular mechanisms, the physiological and behavioral effects of which are difficult to predict solely from synaptic connectivity. Many neuropeptides can activate multiple receptors, whose ligand affinity and downstream signaling cascades are often different from one another. Although we know that the diverse pharmacological characteristics of neuropeptide receptors form the basis of unique neuromodulatory effects on distinct downstream cells, it remains unclear exactly how different receptors shape the downstream activity patterns triggered by a single neuronal neuropeptide source. Here, we uncovered two separate downstream targets that are differentially modulated by tachykinin, an aggression-promoting neuropeptide in Tachykinin from a single male-specific neuronal type recruits two separate downstream groups of neurons. One downstream group, synaptically connected to the tachykinergic neurons, expresses the receptor and is necessary for aggression. Here, tachykinin supports cholinergic excitatory synaptic transmission between the tachykinergic and downstream neurons. The other downstream group expresses the receptor and is recruited primarily when tachykinin is overexpressed in the source neurons. Differential activity patterns in the two groups of downstream neurons correlate with levels of male aggression triggered by the tachykininergic neurons. These findings highlight how the amount of neuropeptide released from a small number of neurons can reshape the activity patterns of multiple downstream neuronal populations. Our results lay the foundation for further investigations into the neurophysiological mechanism by which a neuropeptide controls complex behaviors. Neuropeptides control a variety of innate behaviors, including social behaviors, in both animals and humans. Unlike fast-acting neurotransmitters, neuropeptides can elicit distinct physiological responses in different downstream neurons. How such diverse physiological effects coordinate complex social interactions remains unknown. This study uncovers the first example of a neuropeptisde from a single neuronal source eliciting distinct physiological responses in multiple downstream neurons that express different neuropeptide receptors. Understanding the unique motif of neuropeptidergic modulation, which may not be easily predicted from a synaptic connectivity map, can help elucidate how neuropeptides orchestrate complex behaviors by modulating multiple target neurons simultaneously.