中国科学院深圳先进技术研究院朱英杰研究小组发现，社会等级通过不同的多巴胺能通路调节优势和从属雄性啮齿动物的甲基苯丙胺寻求。这一研究成果于2025年5月12日发表在国际顶尖学术期刊《自然—神经科学》上。

在这里，该研究团队发现优势雄性啮齿动物（基于试管试验）具有更密集的中脑皮层多巴胺能投射，对甲基苯丙胺（甲基苯丙胺）寻求更有抵抗力，而从属啮齿动物在中脑边缘通路中具有更高的多巴胺能功能，更容易寻求甲基苯丙胺。中脑皮层多巴胺能通路的光遗传激活促进了下级的获胜并抑制了甲基苯丙胺的寻求，而中脑皮层通路的损伤则增加了显性的甲基苯丙胺的寻求。社会地位的提升与下属的强迫获胜训练导致多巴胺能系统的重塑，并阻止寻求甲基苯丙胺的行为。然而，在女性中，两个等级的人都容易寻求甲基苯丙胺，其中皮质边缘通路与下属男性相当。这些结果为理解社会地位对药物寻求影响的神经基础提供了一个框架。

据悉，社会地位对心理健康和吸毒倾向有深远的影响。然而，社会等级对药物寻求行为影响的神经机制尚不清楚。

附：英文原文

Title: Social rank modulates methamphetamine-seeking in dominant and subordinate male rodents via distinct dopaminergic pathways

Author: Deng, Xiaofei, Xu, Wei, Liu, Yutong, Jing, Haiyang, Zhong, Jiafeng, Sun, Kaige, Zhou, Ruiyi, Xu, Liang, Wu, Xiaocong, Zhang, Baofang, Chen, Wanqi, Jiang, Shaolei, Chen, Gaowei, Zhu, Yingjie

Issue&Volume: 2025-05-12

Abstract: Social status has a profound impact on mental health and propensity towards drug addiction. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of social rank on drug-seeking behavior remain unclear. Here we found that dominant male rodents (based on the tube test) had denser mesocortical dopaminergic projections and were more resistant to methamphetamine (METH)-seeking, whereas subordinates had heightened dopaminergic function in the mesolimbic pathway and were more vulnerable to METH seeking. Optogenetic activation of the mesocortical dopaminergic pathway promoted winning and suppressed METH seeking in subordinates, whereas lesions of the mesocortical pathway increased METH seeking in dominants. Elevation of social rank with forced win training in subordinates led to remodeling of the dopaminergic system and prevented METH-seeking behavior. In females, however, both ranks were susceptible to METH seeking, with mesocorticolimbic pathways comparable to those in subordinate males. These results provide a framework for understanding the neural basis of the impact of social status on drug-seeking.

DOI: 10.1038/s41593-025-01951-0

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-01951-0