Oxytocin is a neurotransmitter known to be involved in the modulation of social behaviour. Here, we examine the role of oxytocin in the perception of social information using zebrafish (Danio rerio), a social species that has a repertoire of behavioural phenotypes with highly conserved genes and is an emerging experimental model in social neuroscience and neuroethology due to the availability of several behavioural, genetic and imaging tools.

Successfully navigating the social world requires that humans and other social animals are able to perceive emotional cues and know how and when to react to them appropriately. The ability to transmit and detect cues linked to affective states is an evolutionarily conserved trait important for successful social interactions and a building block for empathy. Here, we investigate the role of social presence in information transmission and the implications of social presence on behaviour.