title: The integrity of the social hierarchy in mice following administration of psychotropic drugs.
abstract: 1 Mice in small groups develop a despotic type of social hierarchy, a feature of which is to resist alteration through the medium of psychotropic drugs. This makes a rapid pharmacologically induced change in the social hierarchy impossible. 2 Patrolling the territory and a certain level of social interaction are both critical factors in maintaining the phenomenon of inertia in the social hierarchy. Psychotropic drugs (diazepam, droperidol and mescaline) altered both these factors to a varying degree and also displayed a differing ability to maintain the inertia of the social hierarchy. 3 A drug-induced alteration in the level of aggression in a subordinate mouse in a group of three does not cause an alteration in its social position. 4 Chronic administration of diazepam, droperidol or mescaline, all of which alter the level of aggression in different ways, can result in an inversion of the social hierarchy where a competitive rival is present in the group of mice. The rate of inversion of the social hierarchy depends on the type of pre-existing social hierarchy. 5 It is suggested that the ability of psychotropic drugs to maintain the inertia of the hierarchy be used as an index of their effect upon certain types of species-specific behaviour; in particular aggression.
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects; D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D004329:Droperidol / Q000494:pharmacology; D006608:Hierarchy, Social; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008635:Mescaline / Q000494:pharmacology; D051379:Mice; D011619:Psychotropic Drugs / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012930:Social Dominance; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D011619:Psychotropic Drugs; D000661:Amphetamine; D004329:Droperidol; D003975:Diazepam; D008635:Mescaline