ABS 2023
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Life-long experience shapes the neurogenmoics of social learning in a swordtail fish �
Philip Queller, Rebecca Young, Molly Cummings. The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States

The genomic mechanisms of social learning are not well understood. We analyzed whole-brain gene expression changes after a test of social-learning in a mating context. We used female Xiphophorus nigrensis that we raised in environments that varied by the type of male alternative reproductive tactic present (courting-only, coercive-only, or a mix of courting and coercive). We asked whether individual variation in learning varies with gene expression, as well as whether this relationship varies by social experience. We also asked whether networks of co-expressed genes vary with learning and whether this relationship varies by social experience.� We found 640 differentially expressed genes between learners and non-learners. We also found 416 genes showed a discordant relationship with learning score across rearing environment complexity (1 vs. 2 mating tactics). �None of the modules of co-expression correlated with learning or rearing environment complexity. These results highlight the need for a context-dependent approach to future studies on neural gene expression and social cognition and demonstrate the power of genomic approaches to identify novel molecular pathways of behavior.