Bates M L Shawn, Emery Michael A, Wellman Paul J, Eitan Shoshana
Department of Psychology, Texas A&M University Texas A&M Institute for Neuroscience (TAMIN), College Station, Texas, USA.
Behav Pharmacol. 2017 Dec;28(8):642-647. doi: 10.1097/FBP.0000000000000351.
Our previous studies showed that altering solely the drug experience of the cage mates with which rodents are housed affects the development of morphine dependence. In this study, we used designer receptors exclusively activated by designer drugs to artificially increase or decrease the activity of peripheral dorsal root ganglia sensory neurons expressing the G-protein-coupled receptor MRGPRB4. This is because sensory MRGPRB4-expressing neurons were shown to specifically detect the sensation of massage-like stroking resulting from social grooming, which is an important affiliative social behavior in the rodent. Blocking the sensation of social grooming in morphine-treated mice housed with drug-naive mice (i.e. morphine cage mates) significantly increased the display of jumping behavior in morphine-withdrawn animals. Activating the sensation of social grooming in morphine-treated animals housed solely with other morphine-treated animals (i.e. morphine only) did not significantly alter the display of jumping behavior in morphine-withdrawn animals. Repetitive jumping behaviors have been shown to correlate with morphine dependence. Thus, this study showed a role of social grooming in the protective effect of being housed with drug-naive mice on the development of morphine dependence. It further confirms a role of social support in the development of substance use problems.
我们之前的研究表明，仅改变与啮齿动物同笼饲养伙伴的药物体验，就会影响吗啡依赖的发展。在本研究中，我们使用仅由设计药物激活的设计受体，人为地增加或降低表达G蛋白偶联受体MRGPRB4的外周背根神经节感觉神经元的活性。这是因为已表明表达感觉性MRGPRB4的神经元能特异性地检测由社会梳理引起的类似按摩的抚摸感觉，而社会梳理是啮齿动物中一种重要的亲和性社会行为。在与未接触过药物的小鼠（即吗啡同笼伙伴）同笼饲养的吗啡处理小鼠中，阻断社会梳理的感觉会显著增加吗啡戒断动物的跳跃行为表现。在仅与其他吗啡处理动物（即仅吗啡组）同笼饲养的吗啡处理动物中，激活社会梳理的感觉并未显著改变吗啡戒断动物的跳跃行为表现。重复性跳跃行为已被证明与吗啡依赖相关。因此，本研究表明社会梳理在与未接触过药物的小鼠同笼饲养对吗啡依赖发展的保护作用中发挥了作用。它进一步证实了社会支持在物质使用问题发展中的作用。
