The field of behavioral genetics has recently begun to explore the effect of age on social behaviors. Such studies are particularly important, as certain neuropsychiatric disorders with abnormal social interactions, like autism and schizophrenia, have been linked to older parents. Appropriate social interaction can also have a positive impact on longevity, and is associated with successful aging in humans. Currently, there are few genetic models for understanding the effect of aging on social behavior and its potential transgenerational inheritance. The fly is emerging as a powerful model for identifying the basic molecular mechanisms underlying neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. In this review, we discuss these recent advancements, with a focus on how studies in Drosophila melanogaster have provided insight into the effect of aging on aspects of social behavior, including across generations.
Keywords: Drosophila melanogaster; aggression; aging; animal model; behavioral genetics; courtship; courtship conditioning; dSO; group behavior; sociability; social aggregation; social behavior; social learning; social spacing; transgenerational.
© 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.