# Social Influences on Drug-Seeking Behavior

> **NIH NIH R01** · DAVIDSON COLLEGE · 2021 · $341,554

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Epidemiological studies consistently report that one of the most reliable predictors of whether an
adolescent or young adult will use drugs is whether his or her friends use drugs. Social learning theories
of drug use propose that members of a social group model drug use behaviors and other members
subsequently imitate those behaviors. Furthermore, members of the social group selectively
reinforce/punish the drug use of others depending on the norms established by that group. Until recently,
experimental studies examining the predictions of social learning theories have been limited because of
ethical (human studies) or technical (animal studies) constraints limiting the modeling and imitation of
illicit drug use. Over the last five years, we have developed and validated custom-built, IACUC-approved,
operant conditioning chambers that permit two (or more) rats to intravenously self-administer drugs
simultaneously, side-by-side, in the same chamber. Using these chambers, we reported that drug self-administration could either be increased or decreased depending on the behavior of a partner (i.e.,
whether the partner was also self-administering drugs). In this competing renewal of our research project
grant (R01DA031725, Social Influences on Drug-Seeking Behavior), we will significantly expand the use
of these chambers to advance our understanding of the social factors that contribute to substance abuse
and its treatment. In Aim 1, we will determine whether a partner's (1) amount of responding or (2) amount
of drug intake (i.e., level of intoxication) is responsible for the effects of social contact on drug self-administration by separately manipulating the schedule and dose maintaining responding in the partner.
In Aim 2, we will examine the role of the reinforcing stimulus in determining the effects of social contact
on drug intake by manipulating the reinforcer (cocaine, heroin, food) for both rats of a social dyad. In Aim
3, we will test how social contact influences the efficacy of a pharmacological intervention to reduce
cocaine intake by manipulating whether a partner has access to cocaine over the course of treatment. In
Aim 4, we will determine the effects of (1) social reinforcement and (2) social punishment on drug intake
by giving or removing access to a partner contingent on drug self-administration. In all studies, both male
and female rats will be used, and sex will be examined as a biological variable. The long-term goal of this
project is to identify factors that more accurately predict drug use within social groups and to identify
treatment interventions that incorporate the social environment to curtail drug use.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10224149
- **Project number:** 5R01DA031725-09
- **Recipient organization:** DAVIDSON COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Mark A Smith
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $341,554
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2012-04-01 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10224149

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10224149, Social Influences on Drug-Seeking Behavior (5R01DA031725-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10224149. Licensed CC0.

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