Hypothalamic cell-type differences associated with selection for tameness in the silver fox.

Tame silver foxes (Vulpes vulpes) have fewer estrogen receptor–expressing neurons in the VMHvl than aggressive foxes, linked to a specific aggressive-state neuronal subtype seen in mice.

• Why it matters: Hypothalamic cell types are known to regulate innate social behaviors, but it was unclear whether selection during domestication reshapes hypothalamic cellular composition.
• What they did: The study compared hypothalamic cellular makeup between selectively bred tame and aggressive silver foxes, quantifying estrogen receptor–expressing neurons in the ventrolateral VMH.
• The result: The tame–aggressive difference is confined to a neuronal subtype associated with aggressive states in mice, identifying a candidate hypothalamic subtype shaped by selection on social behavior.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.