Concurrent choice for social interaction and amphetamine using conditioned place preference in rats: Effects of age and housing condition

Authors

Justin R. Yates, University of KentuckyFollow
Joshua S. Beckmann, University of KentuckyFollow
Andrew C. Meyer, University of Vermont
Michael T. Bardo, University of KentuckyFollow

Abstract

Background: Social interaction can serve as a natural reward that attenuates drug reward in rats; however, it is unknown if age or housing conditions alter the choice between social interaction and drug.

Methods: Individually- and pair-housed adolescent and adult male rats were tested using conditioned place preference (CPP) in separate experiments in which: (1) social interaction was conditioned against no social interaction; (2) amphetamine (AMPH; 1 mg/kg, s.c.) was conditioned against saline; or (3) social interaction was conditioned against AMPH.

Results: Social interaction CPP was obtained only in individually-housed adolescents, whereas AMPH CPP was obtained in both individually-housed adolescents and adults; however, the effect of AMPH was not statistically significant in pair-housed adults. When allowed to choose concurrently between compartments paired with either social interaction or AMPH, individually-housed adolescents preferred the compartment paired with social interaction, whereas pair-housed adolescents preferred the compartment paired with AMPH. Regardless of housing condition, adults showed a similar preference for the compartments paired with either social interaction or AMPH.

Conclusions: Although some caution is needed in interpreting cross-experiment comparisons, the overall results suggest that individually-housed adolescents were most sensitive to the rewarding effect of social interaction, and this hypersensitivity to social reward effectively competed with AMPH reward.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2013

Notes/Citation Information

© 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2013.02.024

Funding Information

This research was funded by NIH grants P50 DA05312, R01 DA12964 and T32 DA016176. The NIH had no further role in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the paper for publication.

Repository Citation

Yates, Justin R.; Beckmann, Joshua S.; Meyer, Andrew C.; and Bardo, Michael T., "Concurrent choice for social interaction and amphetamine using conditioned place preference in rats: Effects of age and housing condition" (2013). Psychology Faculty Publications. 256.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_facpub/256