Specificity in sociogenomics: Identifying causal relationships between genes and behavior

Abstract

There has been rapid growth in the use of transcriptomic analyses to study the interplay between gene expression and behavior. Experience can modify gene expression in the brain, leading to changes in internal state and behavioral displays, while gene expression variation between species is thought to specify many innate behavior differences. However, providing a causal association between a gene and a given behavior remains challenging as it is difficult to determine when and where a gene contributes to the function of a behaviorally-relevant neuronal population. Moreover, given that there are fewer genetic tools available for non-traditional model organisms, transcriptomic approaches have been largely limited to profiling of bulk tissue, which can obscure the contributions of subcortical brain regions implicated in multiple behaviors. Here, we discuss how emerging single cell technologies combined with methods offering additional spatial and connectivity information can give us insight about the genetic profile of specific cells involved in the neural circuit of target social behaviors. We also emphasize how these techniques are broadly adaptable to non-traditional model organisms. We propose that, ultimately, a combination of these approaches applied throughout development will be key to discerning how genes shape the formation of social behavior circuits.