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April 15, 2026Behavioural Brain ResearchOpen Access

Juvenile social play and the development of socio-cognitive skills in male rats: Does everyone benefit?

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Authors

JHJackson R. HamAIAndrew N. IwaniukSPSergio M. Pellis

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Overview

Observational study examines socio-cognitive skill development in male rats, suggesting unequal benefits from play opportunities.

Key Points

  • This research aims to investigate whether all male rats benefit equally from social play during early development.
  • Reared 54 male rats in large social groups from weaning to adulthood.
  • Provided rich opportunities for rough-and-tumble play (RTP).
  • Assessed play behaviors, aggression levels, and neural development in the medial prefrontal cortex.
  • 20.4% of rats exhibited increased aggression during play, indicating reduced social competence.
  • Incompetent rats showed similar play frequency but less dendritic pruning in the mPFC.
  • These neural traits resembled those in play-deprived rats, suggesting some individuals gain fewer socio-cognitive benefits from RTP.

Cite This Study

Ham et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69df2a4be4eeef8a2a6af741https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2026.116198
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