Autoshaping of the mouse’s lever press for social reinforcers

Abstract

Diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have spiked within the last decade. Among the most prominent characteristics of ASD are difficulties with social behavior. Animal models are commonly used to study social behavior. Specifically, rodents display complex social behaviors that can be investigated for parallels to that of humans. The current study explored whether ten C57BL/6 wild-type, female mice would work to obtain access to social stimuli. Mice were trained via an autoshaping procedure to associate lever presses with a social reward using only social stimuli. The number of lever presses required for reward access gradually increased until a breakpoint was reached, followed by comparisons to lever presses within an extinction condition. The results of this study determined the differences in social motivation amongst mice as well as the potential influence of an alternative reward type. By studying the value of social stimuli in mice we eventually hope to better understand the mechanisms that initiate and influence the value of social stimuli in humans.