Source Paper
Propranolol Administration During Morphine Addiction Attenuates Reinstatement of Drug-Aversive Memories Caused by Exposure to Stressful Stimuli
Cánovas-Cabanes A, Teruel-Fernández FJ, Fernández-López L, Martínez-Laorden E, Navarro-Zaragoza J et al.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel) • 2025
Social Defeat Stress
Objective: To assess the impact of social stress on the reinstatement of naloxone-induced CPA using agonistic encounters
This is a Social Defeat Stress protocol using Mouse as the model organism. The procedure involves 6 procedural steps, 1 equipment items, 3 materials. Extracted from a 2025 paper published in Pharmaceuticals (Basel).
Model and subjects
Mouse • C57BL/6J • Male • Adult • 179
Study window
~15 minute study window | ~45 minutes hands-on
Core workflow
Aggressor preparation • Propranolol administration (if applicable) • Social defeat exposure
Primary readouts
- Reinstatement of conditioned place aversion
- Time spent in naloxone-paired chamber
- Defensive and submissive behaviors during defeat
Key equipment and reagents
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Protocol Steps
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Aggressor preparation
House potential aggressors individually and screen for high levels of aggressive behavior with prior fighting experience
View evidence from paper
“These aggressors were previously housed individually, screened for high levels of aggressive behavior, and had prior fighting experience”
Propranolol administration (if applicable)
Administer propranolol (10 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle 30 minutes prior to social defeat procedure
View evidence from paper
“a subset of mice received an acute injection of propranolol (10 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 min prior to the social defeat procedure”
Social defeat exposure
Expose experimental mice to a 15-minute agonistic encounter with an aggressor of similar age and weight
View evidence from paper
“mice were exposed to a 15-min agonistic encounter with an aggressor of similar age and weight”
Verify defeat response
Confirm that experimental mice display defensive and submissive behaviors including avoidance or fleeing, with attacks initiated within 30 seconds
View evidence from paper
“experimental mice displayed characteristic defensive and submissive behaviors, including avoidance or fleeing”
Control group exposure
Expose control mice to a non-aggressive social encounter with a familiar conspecific for 15 minutes in a neutral transparent cage
View evidence from paper
“an additional group of mice was exposed to a non-aggressive social encounter with a familiar conspecific previously housed in a group”
Reinstatement test
Conduct reinstatement test 15 minutes after exposure to psychosocial stress
View evidence from paper
“Fifteen minutes after exposure to psychosocial stress, all animals were subjected to the reinstatement test”