Animal models of social contact and drug self-administration

Abstract

Social learning theories of drug abuse propose that individuals imitate drug use behaviors modeled by social peers, and that these behaviors are selectively reinforced and/or punished depending on group norms. Historically, animal models of social influence have focused on distal factors (i.e., those factors outside the drug-taking context) in drug self-administration studies. Recently, several investigators have developed novel models, or significantly modified existing models, to examine the role of proximal factors (i.e., those factors that are immediately present at the time of drug taking) on measures of drug self-administration. Studies using these newer models have revealed several important conclusions regarding the effects of social learning on drug abuse: 1) the presence of a social partner influences drug self-administration, 2) the behavior of a social partner determines whether social contact will increase or decrease drug intake, and 3) social partners can model and imitate specific patterns of drug self-administration. These findings are congruent with those obtained in the human laboratory, providing support for the cross-species generality and validity of these preclinical models. This mini-review describes in detail some of the preclinical animal models used to study social contact and drug self-administration to guide future research on social learning and drug abuse.

A working model for the assessment of disruptions in social behavior among aged rats: The role of sex differences, social recognition, and sensorimotor processes

“…The vast majority of rodent studies examining social behavior have done so in young rodents, during early developmental periods in which social behavior often manifests as rough-and-tumble play (Panksepp et al, 1984; Bredewold et al, 2014; van Kerkhof et al, 2013; Kummer et al, 2011; Pellis et al, 1997; Smith, 2012; Strickland and Smith, 2015; Trezza et al, 2011; Vanderschuren and Trezza, 2014; Veenema et al, 2012; Yates et al, 2013; Zakharova et al, 2009; Zernig and Pinheiro, 2015). Indeed, social processes in young rodents are richly expressed at high levels and lend themselves toward ready delineation of neural substrates underlying social play behavior.…”

The Effects of Excitatory and Inhibitory Social Cues on Cocaine-Seeking Behavior

“…Recently, preclinical studies have begun examining the influence of social peers on drug self-administration and other measures of drug-seeking behavior (see reviews by Neisewander et al, 2012; Bardo et al, 2013; Zernig et al, 2013; Strickland and Smith, 2014, 2015). We recently reported that cocaine intake is facilitated in the presence of a social partner that is also self-administering cocaine, but cocaine intake is inhibited if a social partner is abstinent (i.e., if the partner does not have access to cocaine).…”

The effects of sex, estrous cycle, and social contact on cocaine and heroin self-administration in rats

“…Changes in drug-maintained responding as a function of estrous cycle may be of particular interest when placed in the context of the growing body of literature indicating that drug taking can be influenced by a social partner (for reviews see Strickland and Smith 2014; 2015). Until recently, studies examining the effects of social contact on measures of drug self-administration were limited by the lack of commercially available equipment allowing more than one animal to engage in drug self-administration in close proximity to a partner.…”