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Social context has differential effects on acquisition of nicotine self-administration in male and female rats

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Abstract

Rational

Smoking typically begins during adolescence or early adulthood in a social context, yet the role of social context in animal models is poorly understood.

Objectives

The present study examined the effect of social context on acquisition of nicotine self-administration.

Methods

Sixty-day-old male and female Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to press a lever for nicotine (0.015 mg/kg, IV) or saline infusions (males only) on a fixed ratio (FR1) schedule of reinforcement across nine sessions in duplex chambers that were conjoined with either a solid wall or a wall containing wire mesh creating a social context between rat dyads (social visual, auditory, and olfactory cues). In a subsequent experiment, sex differences and dose-dependent effects of nicotine [0 (saline), 0.015 or 0.03 mg/kg, IV] were directly compared in rats trained in the isolated or social context on a schedule progressing from FR1 to FR3. These rats were given 20 sessions followed by 3 extinction sessions.

Results

We consistently found transient social facilitation of low-dose nicotine self-administration in males during the first session. However, across training overall, we found social suppression of nicotine intake that was most prominent in females during later sessions.

Conclusions

Collectively, these findings suggest that at the age of transition from adolescence to adulthood, a social context enhances the initial reinforcing effects of nicotine in males, but protects against nicotine intake during later sessions especially in females. These findings highlight the importance of sex and social context in studying neural mechanisms involved in initiation of nicotine use.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Nathan Pentkowski, Kenneth Thiel, Lara Pockros, Ryan Bastle, Suzanne Weber, Lauren Hood, Jared Deunsing, Colter Whillock, Jonathan Griffin, Jose Alba, Matthew Adams, Lindsey Robertson-Hammerslag, Quintana Carter, Kenneth Leslie, and John Paul Bonadonna for assistance with surgery and data collection and Dr. Heather Bimonte-Nelson for her laboratory’s assistance with analysis of cell cytology. The authors wish to dedicate this manuscript in memory of the late Suzanne Weber. Support was provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse under award numbers R01DA11064, R21DA023123, and F31DA033805 and by Arizona State University’s More Graduate Education at Mountain States Alliance Program and Undergraduate Science Education Program. These funding sources had no further role in this study or manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287-1104, USA

    Natalie A. Peartree, Kayla N. Hatch, Nora R. Dado, Timothy H.C. Cheung, Joshua S. Talboom & Janet L. Neisewander

  2. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 874501, Tempe, AZ, 85287-4501, USA

    Julianna G. Goenaga, Hanna Molla, Martin A. Dufwenberg, Allegra Campagna, Rachel Mendoza, Timothy H.C. Cheung, Joshua S. Talboom & Janet L. Neisewander

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  1. Natalie A. Peartree
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  2. Kayla N. Hatch
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  3. Julianna G. Goenaga
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Correspondence to Janet L. Neisewander.

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Housing, care, and euthanasia were in accordance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (2011) and National Institutes of Health standards; all procedures were approved by the IACUC at Arizona State University.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Peartree, N.A., Hatch, K.N., Goenaga, J.G. et al. Social context has differential effects on acquisition of nicotine self-administration in male and female rats. Psychopharmacology 234, 1815–1828 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-017-4590-0

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