Sexual Reinforcement in the Female Rat

Matthews, T. James; Grigore, M; Tang, Lingfei; Doat, M.M; Kow, Lee‐Ming; Pfaff, Donald W.

doi:10.1901/jeab.1997.68-399

Cited by 33 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Thus, female rats develop CPP for sex at their own preferred intervals. Taken together with the results of Matthews et al (1997), these data suggest that reward comes from the sexual stimulation that females receive, namely mounts with intromission, so long as that stimulation occurs at the desired time intervals.…”

Section: Black Wallsupporting

confidence: 55%

Who, What, Where, When (and Maybe Even Why)? How the Experience of Sexual Reward Connects Sexual Desire, Preference, and Performance

et al. 2012

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Although sexual behavior is controlled by hormonal and neurochemical actions in the brain, sexual experience induces a degree of plasticity that allows animals to form instrumental and Pavlovian associations that predict sexual outcomes, thereby directing the strength of sexual responding. This review describes how experience with sexual reward strengthens the development of sexual behavior and induces sexually-conditioned place and partner preferences in rats. In both male and female rats, early sexual experience with partners scented with a neutral or even noxious odor induces a preference for scented partners in subsequent choice tests. Those preferences can also be induced by injections of morphine or oxytocin paired with a male rat's first exposure to scented females, indicating that pharmacological activation of opioid or oxytocin receptors can "stand in" for the sexual reward-related neurochemical processes normally activated by sexual stimulation. Conversely, conditioned place or partner preferences can be blocked by the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. A somatosensory cue (a rodent jacket) paired with sexual reward comes to elicit sexual arousal in male rats, such that paired rats with the jacket off show dramatic copulatory deficits. We propose that endogenous opioid activation forms the basis of sexual reward, which also sensitizes hypothalamic and mesolimbic dopamine systems in the presence of cues that predict sexual reward. Those systems act to focus attention on, and activate goal-directed behavior toward, reward-related stimuli. Thus, a critical period exists during an individual's early sexual experience that creates a "love map" or Gestalt of features, movements, feelings, and interpersonal interactions associated with sexual reward.

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Section: Black Wallsupporting

confidence: 55%

Who, What, Where, When (and Maybe Even Why)? How the Experience of Sexual Reward Connects Sexual Desire, Preference, and Performance

et al. 2012

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“…In order to apply this hypothesis to the study of female sexual motivation, it must, therefore, be established that females engage in sexual behavior to experience sexual pleasure (Pfaus et al, 2003; Ågmo, 2007). Sexually-motivated female rats lever press (Bermant, 1961; French et al, 1972), cross an electrified grid (Meyerson and Lindström, 1973), and nose-poke (Matthews et al, 1997; Cummings and Becker, 2012) to gain access to a sexually-active male. When female rats can pace sexual behavior, as in bilevel arenas or those with escape chambers, they show conditioned place preference in that they spend more time in the portion of an arena in which a sexual encounter occurred (Paredes and Alonso, 1997; Meerts and Clark, 2007).…”

Section: Modulators Of Sexual Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex, Drugs, and the Medial Amygdala: A Model of Enhanced Sexual Motivation in the Female Rat

Rudzinskas

Williams

Mong

et al. 2019

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

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Methamphetamine (METH) is a psychomotor stimulant that is reported to enhance sexual desire and behavior in both men and women, leading to increases in unplanned pregnancies, sexually-transmitted infections, and even comorbid psychiatric conditions. Here, we discuss our rodent model of increased sexually-motivated behaviors in which the co-administration of METH and the ovarian hormones, estradiol and progesterone, intensify the incentive properties of a sexual stimulus and increases measures of sexually-motivated behavior in the presence of an androgen-specific cue. We then present the neurobiological mechanisms by which this heightened motivational salience is mediated by the actions of METH and ovarian hormones, particularly progestins, in the posterodorsal medial nucleus of the amygdala (MePD), a key integration site for sexually-relevant sensory information with generalized arousal. We finally demonstrate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this facilitation of sexual motivation by METH, including the upregulation, increased phosphorylation, and activation of progestin receptors (PRs) in the MePD by METH in the presence of ovarian hormones. Taken together, this work extends our understanding of the neurobiology of female sexual motivation.

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“…Additional parameters like percentages of exits and contact–return latencies (CRL) can also be quantified in this test. In appetitive tests, such as odor/partner/place preference and operant tests, the motivation of female rats to engage in sexual behavior is tested [15–20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A New Female Rat Animal Model for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder; Behavioral and Pharmacological Evidence

Snoeren

Chan

Jong

et al. 2011

The Journal of Sexual Medicine

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Introduction Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) affects 33–48% of women. Female rats with low sexual activity might model FSD. Aim In this study, we have investigated whether in a population of normal female rats, subpopulations of rats exist with different levels of sexual behavior. Methods Sexually experienced, intact, estradiol-primed female rats were placed in an empty compartment adjacent to a compartment with a male. The females were allowed, during 30 minutes, to switch between the compartments via a hole through which only the females could pass (paced mating). Next, we investigated the acute effects on female sexual behavior of apomorphine, a D1- and D2-type dopamine receptor agonist, (+/–)-8-hydroxy-2-(dipropylamino)tetralin hydrobromide (±8-OH-DPAT), a 5-HT1A receptor agonist, and paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Main Outcome Measures Time spent in compartments, proceptive behaviors, contact–return latencies, and percentages of exits were quantified. Results Based on their behavior in the paced mating sex test, estradiol-primed, intact female rats can be divided into three groups: those that mostly avoid the male, a large middle group, and those that mostly approach the male. The avoiders also showed significantly less proceptive behavior than the male approachers. The sexual behavior of the females was relatively stable over time, suggesting the existence of different endophenotypes in female rats. Apomorphine and ±8-OH-DPAT had an inhibiting effect on sexual behavior, but only females dosed with apomorphine showed a different response in avoiders and approachers, more inhibiting effect in avoiders than approachers. Paroxetine had no effect on proceptive behavior. Discussion The stable, male-avoiding behavior of some females might correspond to the characteristics of women with FSD. Therefore, these avoiders are a promising new model for FSD, specifically for sexual desire and/or arousal disorders. Furthermore, the apomorphine data suggest that differences in the dopamine system may (partly) underlie the differences in sexual behaviors between avoiders and approachers.

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Sexual Reinforcement in the Female Rat

Cited by 33 publications

References 27 publications

Who, What, Where, When (and Maybe Even Why)? How the Experience of Sexual Reward Connects Sexual Desire, Preference, and Performance

Who, What, Where, When (and Maybe Even Why)? How the Experience of Sexual Reward Connects Sexual Desire, Preference, and Performance

Sex, Drugs, and the Medial Amygdala: A Model of Enhanced Sexual Motivation in the Female Rat

A New Female Rat Animal Model for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder; Behavioral and Pharmacological Evidence

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