Cited by 76Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorPrimate Behavior and EcologyChild and Animal Learning Development

Play fighting and the development of the social brain: The rat’s tale

Pellis, Sergio M., Pellis, Vivien C., Ham, Jackson R., Stark, Rachel A.·2023·Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

Abstract

The benefits gained by young animals engaging in play fighting have been a subject of conjecture for over a hundred years. Progress in understanding the behavioral development of play fighting and the underlying neurobiology of laboratory rats has produced a coherent model that sheds light on this matter. Depriving rats of typical peer-peer play experience during the juvenile period leads to adults with socio-cognitive deficiencies and these are correlated with physiological and anatomical changes to the neurons of the prefrontal cortex, especially the medial prefrontal cortex. Detailed analysis of juvenile peer play has shown that using the abilities needed to ensure that play fighting is reciprocal is critical for attaining these benefits. Therefore, unlike that which was posited by many earlier hypotheses, play fighting does not train specific motor actions, but rather, improves a skill set that can be applied in many different social and non-social contexts. There are still gaps in the rat model that need to be understood, but the model is well-enough developed to provide a framework for broader comparative studies of mammals from diverse lineages that engage in play fighting.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105037

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219 of 219 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Depriving rats of social play behaviour during development results in impairments in the social, emotional and cognitive domains.

    “Indeed, depriving rats of social play behaviour during development results in impairments in the social, emotional and cognitive domains (Vanderschuren and Trezza 2014; Pellis et al. 2023).”

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Fagen, 2009, Play behaviour and multi-year juvenile survival in free-ranging brown bears, Ursus actos, Evol. Ecol. Res., 11, 1053
  2. Pellis, 1993, Sex and the evolution of play fighting: a review and a model based on the behavior of muroid rodents, J. Play Theory Res, 1, 56
  3. Silverman, P., 1978. Animal Behaviour in the Laboratory. Pica Press, New York, NY.
  4. Stark, R.A., 2021. The role of play-deprived experiences on the development of the medial prefrontal cortex and adult social behavior. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
  5. Wilmer, 1991, Behavioral deficiencies of aggressive 8–9-year-old boys: an observational study, Aggress. Behav., 17, 135, 10.1002/1098-2337(1991)17:3<135::AID-AB2480170303>3.0.CO;2-E · DOI

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Authors
Pellis, S. M., Pellis, V. C., Ham, J. R., & Stark, R. A.
Affiliations
University of Lethbridge (CA)
Corresponding author
Pellis, Sergio M.
Venue
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2023-02
Volume
145
Pages
105037
ISSN
0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4313561537
Cited by
76
References
219
Citations by year
2026: 16 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 16
FWCI
22.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (2018-03706)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Child and Animal Learning Development
Keywords
play fighting, social brain, social cognition, social deprivation, medial prefrontal cortex, reciprocal behavior, social behavior development, rats
MeSH terms
Animals, Brain, Mammals, Neurons, Play and Playthings, Social Behavior, Prefrontal Cortex, Rats

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