The effect of intraperitoneal and intra-RMTg infusions of CTAP on rats' social interaction

Social interaction is necessary for the development of individuals and society. Social interaction behaviors are rewarding. Similar to exogenous opioids, social interaction behaviors are able to induce rewarding effects that are regulated by the endogenous opioid system as well. As one type of opioid receptor, μ-opioid receptors (MORs), are densely expressed in the rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), which results in the RMTg being extremely sensitive to rewarding effects induced by exogenous and endogenous opioids. Here, we investigated how RMTg MORs played a role in rewarding effects induced by social interaction behaviors of male Wistar rats, using a conditioned place preference (CPP) model. Results showed that the CPP induced by social interaction behaviors was inhibited when the function of MORs was blocked via injecting CTAP (a selective MOR antagonist) intraperitoneally, and intra-RMTg injections of lower doses of CTAP affected the CPP in the same way. In addition, injecting CTAP intraperitoneally significantly inhibited the expression of pouncing behavior, while intra-RMTg injections of CTAP significantly inhibited the expression of all three types of social behaviors. These results suggest that RMTg MORs may be a crucial target and remain to be further explored in order to better understand the mechanism of the rewarding effects of social interaction behaviors.