Social motivation in recently weaned rats is modified by opiates

An open field choice test was used to determine whether maternal deprivation enhanced the motivation to stay close to the mother. Pups could choose between the dam, 3 sisters and 3 unknown animals of the same age. In addition, an empty enclosure identical to those that contained the stimulus animals were present as a nonsocial choice. Rats that were separated from their mother at 20 days of age and tested about 13 h later were compared to animals that had stayed with the mother until just before the test. It was found that maternal separation increased the time spent close to the mother and reduced that spent close to strangers or an empty enclosure. In fact, weaned animals spent far more time close to the mother than they spent close to any other available choice. Moreover, the mean duration of visits to the mother was much increased during the latter half of the 60-min test. These data were interpreted as showing that the mother had rewarding properties, and that maternal deprivation increased her reward value. In further experiments, the role of opioids for this increase in reward value was evaluated. Morphine enhanced the time spent close to the mother, but only in animals that had been subjected to maternal deprivation for about 13 h. Naloxone had the opposite effect. These data show that the mother's reward value is altered when the activity of opioid systems is modified. It is suggested that the mother acquires rewarding properties because of association with nutritive suckling-induced opioid release.