Exploring wanting and liking during positive human-animal interactions

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Animal Behavior
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Dopamine and opioids are key neurotransmitters in reward processing, influencing
• wanting
• and
• liking
• behaviors.
• Their precise roles in social and human-animal interactions (HAIs) are not well understood.
• Domesticated animals provide a valuable model for studying these mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the roles of dopamine and opioids in modulating reward-related behaviors during HAIs in pigs.
• To determine the optimal dosages for amisulpride (dopamine D2/D3 receptor antagonist) and naloxone (mu-opioid receptor antagonist) in this context.
• To differentiate the effects of these neurotransmitters on
• wanting
• versus
• liking
• components of social interaction.

Main Methods:

• A within-subject design was employed with 30 female pigs.
• Amisulpride (oral) and naloxone (intranasal) were administered at three dosage levels.
• Behavioral responses during 10-minute interaction sessions with a familiar human were recorded post-administration.

Main Results:

• High doses of amisulpride (800 mg) and naloxone (80 mg/ml) significantly increased the latency to initiate contact with the human.
• This suggests that both dopamine and opioid systems play a role in the motivation (
• wanting
• ) to engage in social interaction.
• Neither drug significantly affected the duration of contact, indicating no significant impact on the
• liking
• component.

Conclusions:

• Amisulpride and naloxone can be used to non-invasively study reward mechanisms in domesticated animals.
• The findings provide initial evidence for the safe and effective use of these agents for such research.
• Both neurotransmitter systems modulate the motivation, but not necessarily the pleasure, of social interactions.