Molecular and neural control of sexually dimorphic social behaviors

•Pheromones that promote social approach, mating, aggression, marking identified.•Pheromone that inhibits male sexual behavior identified.•Sex hormones control different social behaviors via genetically separable pathways.•Molecular identification of neurons that regulate mating, fighting, parental care.

Sexually reproducing animals exhibit sex differences in behavior. Sexual dimorphisms in mating, aggression, and parental care directly contribute to reproductive success of the individual and survival of progeny. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of the molecular and neural network mechanisms underlying these behaviors in mice. Notable advances include novel insights into the sensory control of social interactions and the identification of molecularly-specified neuronal populations in the brain that control mating, aggression, and parental behaviors. In the case of the latter, these advances mark a watershed because scientists can now focus on discrete neural pathways in an effort to understand how the brain encodes these fundamental social behaviors.