An operant social self-administration and choice model in mice.

Little is known about how social factors contribute to neurobiology or neuropsychiatric disorders. The use of mice allows one to probe the neurobiological bases of social interaction, offering the genetic diversity and versatility to identify cell types and neural circuits of social behavior. However, mice typically show lower social motivation compared with rats, leading to the question of whether mice should be used to model complex social behaviors displayed by humans.

Waving Through the Window: A Model of Volitional Social Interaction in Female Mice.

Background: Mouse models of social behavior fail to account for volitional aspects of social interaction, and current neurobiological investigation of social behavior is performed almost exclusively using C57BL/6J mice, the background strain of most transgenic mice. Here, we introduce a mouse model of operant social self-administration and choice, using a custom-made apparatus.

Methods: First, we trained adolescent and adult female C57BL/6J and CD1 mice to self-administer palatable food pellets and then to lever press under increasing fixed-ratio response requirements for access to an age-matched female social partner.