title: Effects of psychostimulants on social interaction in adult male rats.
abstract: Psychostimulants are known to have a huge impact on different forms of social behaviour. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of three different psychostimulants [amphetamine, cocaine and 3,4 methylenedimethoxyamphetamine (MDMA)] on social interaction (SI) in adult male rats. The SI test was performed in a familiar arena and under low-stress environmental conditions. Experimental animals received amphetamine (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 mg/kg), cocaine (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0 mg/kg) or MDMA (2.5, 5.0, 10 mg/kg) and control animals received saline (1 ml/kg) 45 min before the SI test. Time spent in SI (individual patterns of social behaviour) and nonsocial activities (locomotion and rearing) were video recorded and then analysed offline, with the following results: (a) all doses of amphetamine decreased SI. Specifically, all doses of amphetamine decreased mutual sniffing, and the higher doses also decreased allo-grooming and following behaviours. (b) The higher doses of cocaine decreased SI, especially mutual sniffing, allo-grooming and climbing over. Cocaine at the dose of 5.0 mg/kg increased genital investigation compared with lower doses. (c) All doses of MDMA decreased mutual sniffing and climbing over; the two higher doses decreased allo-grooming behaviour, and only the highest dose decreased following. The two higher doses of amphetamine and all the doses of MDMA increased locomotion and rearing; cocaine did not affect locomotion, but increased rearing at higher doses. In conclusion, the results confirm the well-known finding that psychostimulants suppress SI, but also show novel differences in the effects of psychostimulants on specific patterns of SI.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Normal, Pathological and Clinical Physiology, Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague bDepartment of Developmental Epileptology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Institute of Physiology, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Romana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Šlamberová
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mikulecká
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Macúchová
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hrebíčková
authors.forename: Mária
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ševčíková
authors.forename: Kateryna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nohejlová
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pometlová
mesh_terms: D000661:Amphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D000661:Amphetamine; D003042:Cocaine; D018817:N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine