2.3. icv Stereotaxic Surgeries

Following a 5 day acclimation period, but prior to exposure to behavioral paradigms, stereotaxic surgery for intracerebroventricular (icv) cannula implantation was performed on C57BL/6N mice that were to undergo Vehicle, Orx₂ receptor agonist, or antagonist treatment (N = 46). Mice were anesthetized with isoflourane (2% at 1.0 L/min flow rate) and a guide cannula (26 ga cut to 1.5 mm) was inserted into the right lateral ventricle (Bregma; AP: −0.50 and ML: −1.0). Animals were allowed 7–10 days to recover before aggressive social interaction began.