Vulnerability to develop addiction is influenced by numerous factors, including social behavior. Specifically, in human users, drug taking in a socio-sexual context appears to enhance further drug-seeking behavior. Users report heightened sexual pleasure as a motivation for further drug use and display risk behaviors even when tested in drug-free state. Here, using a preclinical model of limited voluntary drug use in rats, the hypothesis was tested that methamphetamine (Meth)-taking concurrently with socio-sexual experience increases vulnerability to addiction. Male Sprague Dawley rats were socially housed and underwent limited-access Meth self-administration (maximum 1 mg/kg/session). Meth-taking was either concurrent or non-concurrent with sexual behavior: concurrent animals were mated with a receptive female immediately after each session, while non-concurrent animals gained equivalent sexual experience the week prior. Next, drug-seeking behaviors were measured during cue reactivity, extinction, and reinstatement sessions using different extinction and reinstatement protocols in 4 separate studies. Both groups equally acquired Meth self-administration and did not differ in total Meth intake. However, drug-seeking behavior was significantly higher in concurrent animals during cue reactivity tasks, extinction sessions, and cue- or Meth-induced reinstatement tests. In addition, sexual behavior in the absence of Meth triggered reinstatement of drug-seeking in concurrent animals. These results indicate that Meth-taking in a socio-sexual context significantly enhances vulnerability for drug addiction in male rats. This preclinical paradigm of drug self-administration concurrent with socio-sexual behavior provides a useful model for studying the underlying neurobiology of socially driven vulnerability to drug addiction.

中文翻译：

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在社会性别环境中吸毒会增加雄性大鼠成瘾的脆弱性。

上瘾的脆弱性受许多因素的影响，包括社会行为。具体而言，在人类使用者中，在社会性别环境中吸毒似乎可以增强进一步的吸毒行为。用户报告称性愉悦感增强，这是进一步吸毒的动机，即使在无毒状态下进行测试，也显示出危险行为。在这里，使用一种在大鼠中自愿使用药物的临床前模型，对假说进行了检验，即甲基苯丙胺（甲基）与社会性经历同时服用会增加成瘾的易感性。雄性Sprague Dawley大鼠在社会上圈养，并接受有限途径的Meth自我给药（最大剂量为1 mg / kg /节）。采食是与性行为同时发生或不同时发生：在每次接触后立即将并发动物与雌性雌性交配，而非并发动物在前一周获得了同等的性经验。接下来，在4个独立的研究中，使用不同的消光和恢复方案，在提示反应性，消光和恢复过程中测量了寻药行为。两组均获得了Meth自我管理，并且Meth的总摄入量没有差异。但是，在提示反应性任务，灭绝过程以及提示或甲基诱导的恢复测试期间，并发动物的寻药行为明显更高。此外，在没有甲基安非他明的情况下，性行为会导致并发动物的寻毒活动恢复。这些结果表明，在社会性别环境中服用甲基苯丙胺可显着提高雄性大鼠吸毒成瘾的脆弱性。