Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the "winner effect," a psychological phenomenon where previous victories increase the likelihood of future successes, highlighting gender differences in this effect between male and female mice [2][3]. Group 1: Research Findings - A study by Professor Hu Hailan's team at Zhejiang University revealed that female mice exhibit a weaker "winner effect" compared to male mice, attributed to differences in the excitability of a specific type of inhibitory neuron in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) [3][11]. - The research utilized a "tunnel experiment" to establish social hierarchies among mice, confirming that female mice can form stable social ranks, albeit through different behavioral strategies than males [5][10]. - The study demonstrated that activating the dmPFC in female mice could reverse their social standing, indicating that this brain region plays a crucial role in regulating social hierarchy for both sexes [7][8]. Group 2: Neural Mechanisms - The research identified that the excitability of parvalbumin interneurons (PV-IN) in the dmPFC is higher in female mice, leading to a less pronounced "winner effect" due to lower long-term potentiation (LTP) in the neural pathways involved [11][12]. - Experiments showed that enhancing PV-IN excitability in male mice diminished their "winner effect," while inhibiting it in female mice strengthened their "winner effect," confirming the critical role of PV-IN in gender differences [12][14]. Group 3: Evolutionary Perspective - The study suggests that the weaker "winner effect" in female mice may have evolutionary advantages, allowing them to balance competition and cooperation, reduce energy expenditure, and maintain social harmony [16][17]. - This neural mechanism difference reflects adaptive evolution in social roles between males and females, providing insights into how specific neuronal excitability can finely tune social behaviors [17].