# Neurobiological mechanisms underlying heroin relapse after social-induced abstinence and preference for social interaction vs. opioid drugs

> **NIH NIH FI2** · U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE · 2022 · —

## Abstract

Project Summary
Over the last decade, opioid addiction has become increasingly problematic. Clinical research on drug vs.
nondrug (e.g., monetary vouchers) choice has demonstrated that nondrug alternative rewards can reduce, or
even prevent drug use. Mirroring clinical results, preclinical choice models in rats and nonhuman primates
have shown that nondrug food rewards can decrease heroin choice. However, a limitation of animal models of
choice has been the exclusive use of food as the nondrug alternative reward. In humans, the alternative
rewards that compete with drugs are primarily social rewards (e.g., family, employment).
To address this preclinical-clinical research gap, the Shaham lab recently introduced a rat model of operant
social self-administration and choice between rewarding social interaction vs. methamphetamine or heroin.
The main behavioral finding was that when rats were trained for drug self-administration under different gold-
standard addiction models and given mutually exclusive choices between lever pressing for drug or social
interaction, they strongly preferred social interaction. The Shaham lab also used the social choice model to
study incubation of drug craving, the time-dependent increase in drug seeking after cessation of drug self-
administration. In this setup, relapse to drug seeking was assessed after 2 weeks of ‘voluntary abstinence’,
achieved by providing rats daily choices between heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamine vs. social interaction.
They reported dissociable effects of social choice-induced abstinence on incubation of methamphetamine or
cocaine craving (complete blockade) vs. heroin craving (modest decrease) compared with homecage forced
abstinence.
The neurobiological mechanisms of incubation of heroin craving after social-induced abstinence and the
preference for social interaction over opioid drugs are currently unknown. Therefore, the aim of this proposal is
to identify the brain areas and circuits underlying (1) incubation of heroin craving after social-induced
abstinence and (2) choice between social interaction vs. opioid drugs.
The proposal will provide new insights on brain mechanisms underlying relapse to opioid seeking and choice
between opioid drugs vs. social interaction using behavioral procedures that more closely mimic the human
condition.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10496704
- **Project number:** 1FI2GM142476-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON DRUG ABUSE
- **Principal Investigator:** Jonathan J Chow
- **Activity code:** FI2 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2025-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10496704

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10496704, Neurobiological mechanisms underlying heroin relapse after social-induced abstinence and preference for social interaction vs. opioid drugs (1FI2GM142476-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10496704. Licensed CC0.

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