Social Play Behavior

Abstract

Play is a behavior that fascinates scientists from a wide variety of disciplines. In this chapter, we will take a neurobiological view on this behavior, with a special focus on social play behavior in rats, which is the most widely studied form of play behavior. We provide descriptions of play behavior, and discuss the structure and function of social play behavior as well as its neural underpinnings. We also outline several outstanding questions and topics for future research.