Hippocampal neuroligin-2 links early-life stress with impaired social recognition and increased aggression in adult mice.

•Early life stress results in impaired social behavior and increased aggression.•Early life stress increases hippocampal neuroligin-2 expression.•Increasing neuroligin-2 expression mimics the stress-induced phenotype.•Knockdown of neuroligin-2 ameliorates stress-induced deficits.