Genitosensory nerve modulation of paced mating behavior: Evidence for pelvic, but not hypogastric, nerve influence.

Clark, Ann S.; Robinson, Siobhan; Meerts, Sarah H.; Quill, Kimberly A.; Boisvert, Eilish

doi:10.1037/a0024263

Cited by 9 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Genital tactile stimulation (Paredes and Alonso, 1997 ; Paredes and Vazquez, 1999 ; Meerts and Clark, 2009 ; Parada et al, 2010 , 2011 ) and paced mating (Guterl et al, 2015 ) are able to trigger conditioned place preferences (CPP) in female rats (reviewed in Pfaus et al, 2016 ) and, therefore, might be an important cue during mate choice, especially during the phases of on-going and post-copulatory mate choice. Indeed, artificial and experimentally controlled vaginocervical (Meerts and Clark, 2009 ) and clitoral stimulation are able to induce CPP (Cibrian-Llanderal et al, 2010 ; Parada et al, 2010 ) which was blocked by pharmacological (Meerts et al, 2015 ) or nerve ablation experiments (Clark et al, 2011 ). Interestingly they also suggest that only clitoral stimulation is crucial for the development of paced mating (Meerts et al, 2010 , 2015 ; Parada et al, 2010 ).…”

Section: Contribution Of Somatosensation During Mating and Postmating...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hearing, touching, and multisensory integration during mate choice

Lenschow

Mendes

Lima

2022

Front. Neural Circuits

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Mate choice is a potent generator of diversity and a fundamental pillar for sexual selection and evolution. Mate choice is a multistage affair, where complex sensory information and elaborate actions are used to identify, scrutinize, and evaluate potential mating partners. While widely accepted that communication during mate assessment relies on multimodal cues, most studies investigating the mechanisms controlling this fundamental behavior have restricted their focus to the dominant sensory modality used by the species under examination, such as vision in humans and smell in rodents. However, despite their undeniable importance for the initial recognition, attraction, and approach towards a potential mate, other modalities gain relevance as the interaction progresses, amongst which are touch and audition. In this review, we will: (1) focus on recent findings of how touch and audition can contribute to the evaluation and choice of mating partners, and (2) outline our current knowledge regarding the neuronal circuits processing touch and audition (amongst others) in the context of mate choice and ask (3) how these neural circuits are connected to areas that have been studied in the light of multisensory integration.

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Section: Contribution Of Somatosensation During Mating and Postmating...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hearing, touching, and multisensory integration during mate choice

Lenschow

Mendes

Lima

2022

Front. Neural Circuits

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“…One hypothesis to explain this phenomenon is that progesterone can act as an analgesic in genital sensitivity, given that female pacing can be influenced by pelvic nerve modulation [21]. Progesterone may also act as an anxiolytic, which may permit the female to withstand longer intromission time with males [22].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brain Levels of Prostaglandins, Endocannabinoids, and Related Lipids Are Affected by Mating Strategies

Stuart

Paris

Frye

et al. 2013

International Journal of Endocrinology

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Background. Endogenous cannabinoids (eCBs) are involved in the development and regulation of reproductive behaviors. Likewise, prostaglandins (PGs) drive sexual differentiation and initiation of ovulation. Here, we use lipidomics strategies to test the hypotheses that mating immediately activates the biosynthesis and/or metabolism of eCBs and PGs and that specific mating strategies differentially regulate these lipids in the brain. Methods. Lipid extractions and tandem mass spectrometric analysis were performed on brains from proestrous rats that had experienced one of two mating strategies (paced or standard mating) and two nonmated groups (chamber exposed and home cage controls). Levels of PGs (PGE2 and PGF2alpha), eCBs (AEA and 2-AG, N-arachidonoyl glycine), and 4 related lipids (4 N-acylethanolamides) were measured in olfactory bulb, hypothalamus, hippocampus, thalamus, striatum, midbrain, cerebellum, and brainstem. Results. Overall, levels of these lipids were significantly lower among paced compared to standard mated rats with the most dramatic decreases observed in brainstem, hippocampus, midbrain, and striatum. However, chamber exposed rats had significantly higher levels of these lipids compared to home cage controls and paced mated wherein the hippocampus showed the largest increases. Conclusions. These data demonstrate that mating strategies and exposure to mating arenas influence lipid signaling in the brain.

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“…Therefore, sexual behavior in the female rat becomes a delicate balance between approaching the male and avoiding the male (Paredes and Vazquez, 1999). Somatosensory stimulation received from the male, and female motivation, act in concert to affect female behavior and likely contribute to the avoidance of the male during mating (Erskine et al, 2004; Clark et al, 2011). Because receipt of sexual stimulation triggers withdrawal, the amount of time spent with the male is reduced when mating is possible, relative to when the female can only exchange olfactory, visual, and auditory stimuli, but not mate with the male (Clark et al, 2004).…”

Section: Laboratory Paradigms That Measure Female Sexual Behavior Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“What a Girl Wants”: What Can We Learn From Animal Models of Female Sexual Motivation?

Guarraci

Frohardt

2019

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

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Sexual motivation is notably different than other motivations such as hunger and thirst, because it lacks homeostatic drive. Sexual motivation poses no threat to physical well-being; individual survival is not at stake. Nevertheless, sexual motivation is a powerful drive and is critical for species survival. Understanding the complexity of sexual motivation has the potential to advance our understanding of other motivations, even pathological motivations, such as those associated with substance abuse. The study of motivation that is unique to females has often been neglected. A number of paradigms have been developed to investigate female sexual motivation beyond measuring only the lordosis reflex. Lordosis is a reflexive posture displayed by female mammals in response to male sexual stimulation to facilitate intromission. The lordosis reflex is essential, but studying the drive to mate is compromised in the absence of robust lordosis. Therefore, appetitive measures of sexual behavior (e.g., preferences, solicitation behaviors) are more specific and more sensitive indicators of sexual motivation than lordosis alone. Paradigms designed to study female sexual motivation often provide a female subject with the choice to interact with a sexually vigorous male or either a non-sexual partner (i.e., female, castrated male) or to remain alone. The study of appetitive measures of sexual motivation has elucidated the role of hormones in female sexual motivation, as well as the underlying neural pathways. The present review describes methods for studying female rats to advance our understanding of sexual motivation and sexual dysfunction.

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Genitosensory nerve modulation of paced mating behavior: Evidence for pelvic, but not hypogastric, nerve influence.

Cited by 9 publications

References 30 publications

Hearing, touching, and multisensory integration during mate choice

Hearing, touching, and multisensory integration during mate choice

Brain Levels of Prostaglandins, Endocannabinoids, and Related Lipids Are Affected by Mating Strategies

“What a Girl Wants”: What Can We Learn From Animal Models of Female Sexual Motivation?

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