Use of an operant paradigm for the study of antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction

Uphouse, Lynda; Pinkston, Jonathan W.; Baade, Duane; Solano, Christian; Onaiwu, Bless

doi:10.1097/fbp.0000000000000177

Cited by 10 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The first component is generalized arousal which energizes all motivated behaviors (Pfaff et al, 2008). The specific neurobiological signals known to mediate the sexual motivation and behavior in the female rat are the ovarian hormones estradiol and progesterone (Cummings and Becker, 2012; Uphouse et al, 2015). Although these are not the only neurobiological factors that could alter the central motive state to lead differences in sexual motivated behaviors, we will focus discussion on the factors of generalized arousal and ovarian hormones in this review article.…”

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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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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“…This necessitates that more direct measures of motivation be utilized. In support of this idea, SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction, which primarily affects precopulatory and appetitive sexual behaviors in women, is detectable using operant tasks that measure sexual motivation, but not using classic tests of female proceptive behaviors (Uphouse et al, 2015). This highlights the importance of using behavioral paradigms that specifically measure sexual motivation, without the confound of potentially reflexive components of sexual behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ovarian Hormones Mediate Changes in Adaptive Choice and Motivation in Female Rats

Yoest

Cummings

Becker

2019

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

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In female rodents, sexual receptivity is coordinated with cyclic changes in the release of gonadal hormones. Increases in estradiol (E) and progesterone (P) during proestrus and estrus not only induce ovulation but also modulate behaviors that increase the likelihood that the female will find a mate and reproduce. This includes changes in receptive behaviors, such as lordosis, as well as changes in appetitive or proceptive behaviors, including motivation. Interestingly, the direction of these changes in motivation is dependent on the type of reward that is being pursued. While induction of sexual receptivity by E and P increases motivation for access to a male, motivation for a palatable food reward is decreased. These concurrent changes may facilitate adaptive choice across the estrous cycle; females bias their choice for sex when fertilization is most likely to occur, but for food when copulation is unlikely to result in impregnation. In order to test this hypothesis, we developed a novel paradigm to measure the motivated choice between a palatable food reward and access to a male conspecific. Ovariectomized, hormone primed females were trained to operantly respond for both food and sex on a fixed interval (FI) schedule. After training, unprimed and primed females were tested in a chamber that allows them to choose between food and sex while still requiring responding on the FI schedule for reach reward. From this we can not only determine the impact of hormone priming on female choice for food or sex, but also how this is reflected by changes in motivation for each specific reward, as measured by the average number of responses made during each fixed interval. Induction of sexual receptivity by hormone priming biases choice toward sex over food and this change is accompanied by an increase in motivation for sex but a decrease in motivation for food. This work provides evidence in support of a novel framework for understanding how the release of ovarian hormones over the course of the estrous cycle modulates adaptive behavioral choice in females by directly assessing motivation via operant responding when multiple rewards are available.

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“…Female behavior during a sexual interaction provides clues as to sexual motivation; however, specific models are required to separate the analysis of the motivational state from the execution of the behavior [17,41]. Motivation-assessment tests based on learning tasks (e.g., lever-pressing, place preference conditioning, or nose poking) [23,42,43] and on unconditioned approaching behaviors (e.g., partner preference with or without physical contact or multiple partner choice arena) [37,44,45] have provided further evidence of the motivational nature of female sexual behavior [4,17] (Table 1). For example, sexual preference tests-or partner preference or sexual incentive tests-are among the most commonly unconditional tests used.…”

Section: Adding Complexity To the Sexual Behavior Of Females: The Rol...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Adolescence and Postpartum: Two Life Periods to Deepen Our Understanding of the Complexity of Female Rat Sexual Behavior

Agrati

2022

Sexes

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The sexual behavior of the female rat has been extensively studied and used as a model for human female sexuality. The development of models that focus on sexual interaction from the female’s perspective has demonstrated the complexity of this behavior, in which motivational and affective aspects have great relevance. This review describes, from a historical perspective, some of the studies that have shed light on this complexity and presents the potential of two periods in the female’s life to expand our understanding of sexual behavior: adolescence and postpartum estrus. Cycling adolescent female rats can express sexual behavior even though some of the underlying circuitry is still developing. Therefore, this is an ideal time for studying the ontogeny of sexual behavior, the interaction of sexual and social motivations, and the neuroendocrine changes that lead to adult behavior. Female rats also show a fertile estrus a few hours after parturition. During this period, rats are simultaneously sexually and maternally motivated, making postpartum estrus an excellent model for exploring the interaction of these two social motivations. What we know so far about female sexual behavior in these unique periods of life reaffirms its richness and shows that much remains to be known.

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Use of an operant paradigm for the study of antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction

Cited by 10 publications

References 35 publications

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

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

Ovarian Hormones Mediate Changes in Adaptive Choice and Motivation in Female Rats

Adolescence and Postpartum: Two Life Periods to Deepen Our Understanding of the Complexity of Female Rat Sexual Behavior

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