The adolescent transition from childhood to adulthood requires a qualitative shift in the focus on social interactions and reward. The male Syrian hamster provides a unique model for understanding how social information processing matures throughout adolescence, as juvenile males are not attracted to female vaginal secretions (VS) that are essential for sexual behavior in adulthood. I have shown that VS are rewarding in gonad-intact adult but not juvenile hamsters using conditioned place preference (CPP), and that testosterone treatment facilitates a VS-induced CPP in juveniles that is dopamine dependent. Moreover, VS induces Fos expression throughout the mesocorticolimbic system in adult but not juvenile hamsters. This body of work demonstrates that 1) the pubertal rise in testosterone changes the perception of a social stimulus, allowing it to serve as an unconditioned reward; 2) adolescent maturation of social reward is mediated by dopaminergic mechanisms and involves engagement of the mesocorticolimbic reward system.
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