Hippocampal dorsal and ventral CA2 enable social discrimination after acute social defeat

In male mice, inhibiting Avpr1b-expressing CA2 neurons in ventral hippocampus during learning impairs 24-hour social threat discrimination after acute social defeat.

• Why it matters: It is unclear how a single naturalistic aggressive encounter is converted into a lasting memory of conspecific valence across hippocampal dorsal–ventral circuits.
• What they did: The AD-STDM paradigm tested preference for a familiar non-aggressor over a familiar aggressor 24 h after one defeat; chemogenetic CA2 inhibition during learning was used, alongside cFos mapping.
• The result: Ventral CA2 inhibition during learning reduced later discrimination, and acute defeat increased cFos in ventral CA2 neurons versus non-aggressive interaction, supporting ventral CA2’s role in aversive social memory.

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