AIM:

To compare the behavioral and neural bases of conditioned preferences induced by drugs and sex in animal models.

DEVELOPMENT:

Sex- and drug-induced preferences have certain commonalities. For example, sex and drug reward can induce the development of new preferences, leading to the idea that the partner preferences that develop after sexual encounters and drug consumption are, in part, consequences of classical conditioning. Both phenomena depend on the activity of mesolimbic areas, and neurotransmitters such as dopamine, opioids and oxytocin. Agonists for these neurotransmitters facilitate conditioned preferences in the absence of sex and drug reward, whereas antagonists disrupt them even after sex or drug consumption.

CONCLUSIONS:

This review adds evidence to the idea that conditioned preferences induced by drugs use similar neural systems as those that evolved to sense and learn about natural rewards like sex.