Department of Psychology and Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
Curr Protoc. 2021 Apr;1(4):e119. doi: 10.1002/cpz1.119.
Animal models of addictive behaviors are useful for uncovering neural mechanisms involved in the development of dependence and for identifying risk factors for drug abuse. One such risk factor is biological sex, which strongly moderates drug self-administration behavior in rodents. Female rodents are more likely to acquire drug self-administration behaviors, consume higher amounts of drug, and reinstate drug-seeking behavior more readily. Despite this female vulnerability, preclinical addiction research has largely been done in male animals. The study of sex differences in rodent models of addictive behavior is increasing, however, as more investigators are choosing to include both male and female animals in experiments. This commentary is meant to serve as an introductory guide for preclinical investigators new to the study of sex differences in addiction. We provide an overview of self-administration models, a broad view of female versus male self-administration behaviors, and suggestions for study design and implementation. Inclusion of female subjects in preclinical addiction research is timely, as problem drug and alcohol use in women is increasing. With proper attention, design, and analysis, the study of sex differences in addiction has the potential to uncover novel neural mechanisms and lead to greater translational success for addiction research. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
动物成瘾行为模型对于揭示成瘾发展过程中的神经机制以及确定药物滥用的风险因素非常有用。其中一个风险因素是生物性别，它强烈调节啮齿动物的药物自我给药行为。雌性啮齿动物更有可能获得药物自我给药行为，消耗更多的药物，并更易重新开始寻找药物。尽管存在这种女性易感性，但临床前成瘾研究主要在雄性动物中进行。然而，随着越来越多的研究人员选择在实验中同时纳入雄性和雌性动物，对成瘾行为的啮齿动物模型中性别差异的研究正在增加。本文旨在为刚开始研究成瘾性别差异的临床前研究人员提供一个入门指南。我们提供了自我给药模型概述、雌性与雄性自我给药行为的广泛比较，以及研究设计和实施的建议。将女性研究对象纳入临床前成瘾研究是及时的，因为女性中与毒品和酒精有关的问题正在增加。通过适当的关注、设计和分析，对成瘾性别差异的研究有可能揭示新的神经机制，并为成瘾研究带来更大的转化成功。© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
