Bridging Species and Disciplines: Incorporating Sociological Frameworks into Animal Models of Addiction

Abstract

This chapter explores the integration of sociological concepts and frameworks into animal models of addictive behaviors, aiming to enhance cross-species validity and deepen understanding of addiction’s multifaceted biopsychosocial roots. Through an interdisciplinary approach merging sociology and behavioral neuroscience, the investigation examines how experiences of discrimination and constrained agency may contribute to addiction vulnerability. Specifically, chronic social defeat stress’s impact on drug-seeking behaviors is explored, drawing parallels between rodent models and human experiences of racial battle fatigue resulting from daily racial microaggressions. The chapter also delves into how lack of autonomy, social isolation, and perceived loss of control due to discrimination may precipitate substance use as a coping mechanism. Additionally, the influence of social hierarchies, bonding patterns, and intergenerational epigenetic effects on resilience versus susceptibility to addiction is considered. Current methodologies are critically evaluated, with a proposal to enhance ecological validity in animal experiments to better simulate nuanced sociocultural stressors associated with addiction risk. Emphasizing the urgent need for cross-disciplinary collaborations between rodent researchers and social scientists, the chapter advocates for the incorporation of relevant sociological concepts into behavioral assays. Ultimately, the integration of diverse perspectives is crucial for comprehensively addressing the psychosocial and neurobiological dynamics underlying addiction across mammalian species and for developing more effective and equitable prevention and treatment approaches.