Studies of instrumental behavior with sexual reinforcement in male rats (Rattus norvegicus): II. Effects of preoptic area lesions, castration, and testosterone.

We studied effects of lesions to the medial preoptic area (POA), castration, and testosterone replacement on instrumental and unconditioned sexual behavior in male rats. We achieved instrumental measures of sexual motivation by training males to work for an estrous female, presented in an operant chamber under a second-order schedule of reinforcement. POA lesions abolished mounts, intromissions, and ejaculation but did not disrupt instrumental responses, investigation of the female, or abortive mounting attempts. Castration abolished attempts to copulate and also caused a marked decrease in instrumental responses. Testosterone resulted in the prompt reinstatement of instrumental responses and more gradual recovery of unconditioned sexual behavior. We discuss these results in terms of the motivational and performance effects of these neuroendocrine manipulations.

[1]  B. Everitt,et al.  Studies of instrumental behavior with sexual reinforcement in male rats (Rattus norvegicus): I. Control by brief visual stimuli paired with a receptive female. , 1987, Journal of comparative psychology.

[2]  B. Everitt,et al.  Selective effects of β-endorphin infused into the hypothalamus, preoptic area and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis on the sexual and ingestive behaviour of male rats , 1987, Neuroscience.

[3]  R. Miller,et al.  Naloxone inhibits mating and conditioned place preference for an estrous female in male rats soon after castration , 1987, Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior.

[4]  Maureen L. Bergondy,et al.  MPOA and BNST lesions in male Syrian hamsters Differential effects on copulatory and chemoinvestigatory behaviors , 1987, Behavioural Brain Research.

[5]  D. A. Edwards,et al.  Preoptic and midbrain control of sexual motivation , 1986, Physiology & Behavior.

[6]  B. Hart.  Medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic lesions and sociosexual behavior of male goats , 1986, Physiology & Behavior.

[7]  B D Sachs,et al.  Fertility of mating in rats (Rattus norvegicus): contributions of androgen-dependent morphology and actions of the penis. , 1986, Journal of comparative psychology.

[8]  S. Hansen,et al.  Emergence of displacement activities in the male rat following thwarting of sexual behavior. , 1984, Behavioral neuroscience.

[9]  R. Meisel,et al.  Differential maintenance of penile responses and copulatory behavior by gonadal hormones in castrated male rats , 1984, Hormones and Behavior.

[10]  J. Merkx.  Effect of castration and subsequent substitution with testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and oestradiol on sexual preference behaviour in the male rat , 1984, Behavioural Brain Research.

[11]  B. Hart,et al.  Differences in responsiveness to testosterone of penile reflexes and copulatory behavior of male rats , 1983, Hormones and Behavior.

[12]  J. Balthazart,et al.  Hormones and Behaviour in Higher Vertebrates , 1983, Proceedings in Life Sciences.

[13]  J. Merkx.  Sexual motivation of the male rat during the oestrous cycle of the female rat , 1983, Behavioural Brain Research.

[14]  B. D. Sachs.  Potency and Fertility: Hormonal and Mechanical Causes and Effects of Penile Actions in Rats , 1983 .

[15]  G. Paxinos,et al.  The Rat Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates , 1983 .

[16]  P. W. Lane,et al.  An introduction to Genstat , 1983 .

[17]  S. Hansen.  Hypothalamic control of motivation: the medial preoptic area and masculine sexual behaviour. , 1982, Scandinavian journal of psychology.

[18]  B D Sachs.  Role of striated penile muscles in penile reflexes, copulation, and induction of pregnancy in the rat. , 1982, Journal of reproduction and fertility.

[19]  M. Goldstein,et al.  Effects of ibotenic acid-induced neuronal degeneration in the medial preoptic area and the lateral hypothalamic area on sexual behavior in the male rat , 1982, Brain Research.

[20]  D. Pfaff.  Neurobiological Mechanisms of Sexual Motivation , 1982 .

[21]  A. Arnold,et al.  Hormone accumulation in a sexually dimorphic motor nucleus of the rat spinal cord. , 1980, Science.

[22]  J. Davidson.  The Psychobiology of Sexual Experience , 1980 .

[23]  D. Pfaff.  Estrogens and brain function , 1980 .

[24]  F. Toates.  Animal behaviour: A systems approach , 1980 .

[25]  J. Gustafsson,et al.  Testosterone in the control of rat sexual behavior. , 1980, Journal of steroid biochemistry.

[26]  D. Dewsbury.  Factor analysis of measures of copulatory behavior in three species of muroid rodents. , 1979 .

[27]  E. L. Ryan,et al.  Studies on the role of the medial preoptic area in sexual behavior and hormonal response to sexual behavior in the mature male laboratory rat. , 1978, Biology of reproduction.

[28]  B. Hart,et al.  Changes in urine spraying, feeding and sleep behavior of cats following medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic lesions , 1978, Brain Research.

[29]  Benjamin L. Hart,et al.  Heterosexual, autosexual and social behavior of adult male rhesus monkeys with medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic lesions , 1978, Brain Research.

[30]  D. Dewsbury,et al.  Sex and Behavior , 1978 .

[31]  Benjamin D. Sachs.  Conceptual and Neural Mechanisms of Masculine Copulatory Behavior , 1978 .

[32]  J. A. Hogan,et al.  A Comparison of the Properties of Different Reinforcers , 1978 .

[33]  J. Hutchison.  Biological determinants of sexual behaviour , 1978 .

[34]  J. Hetta,et al.  Sex-specific orientation in the male rat. A methodological study. , 1978, Acta physiologica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[35]  J. Beck.  A positive correlation between male and female response latencies in the mutually reinforced instrumental sexual responses in rats. , 1978, Acta neurobiologiae experimentalis.

[36]  A. Merari,et al.  Long range effects of MPOA lesion on mating behavior in the male rat , 1977, Brain Research.

[37]  R. J. Barfield,et al.  Functional Analysis of Masculine Copulatory Behavior in the Rat , 1976 .

[38]  D. Bindra.  A theory of intelligent behavior , 1976 .

[39]  Contact with estrus female as a reward for instrumental response in a growing male rat from the 3rd up to the 14th week of life. , 1976, Acta neurobiologiae experimentalis.

[40]  L. Dicara.  Limbic and Autonomic Nervous Systems Research , 2011, Springer US.

[41]  L. Clemens,et al.  Intrahypothalamic implants of testosterone or estradiol and resumption of masculine sexual behavior in long-term castrated male rats. , 1974, Endocrinology.

[42]  B. Hart.  Medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic area and sociosexual behavior of male dogs: a comparative neuropsychological analysis. , 1974, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[43]  Benjamin D. Sachs,et al.  PACING OF COPULATORY BEHAVIOR IN THE MALE RAT: EFFECTS OF RECEPTIVE FEMALES AND INTERMITTENT SHOCKS1 , 1974 .

[44]  J. Davidson,et al.  Biological bases of sexual behavior , 1974 .

[45]  D. Pfaff,et al.  Neural and Hormonal Determinants of Mating Behavior in Adult Male Rats. A Review , 1974 .

[46]  J. Beck.  Contact with male or female conspecifics as a reward for instrumental responses in estrus and anestrus female rats. , 1974, Acta neurobiologiae experimentalis.

[47]  B. Hart,et al.  Effects of testosterone propionate and dihydrotestosterone on penile morphology and sexual reflexes of spinal male rats. , 1973, Hormones and behavior.

[48]  R. Goy,et al.  Effects of castration and replacement therapy on sexual behavior of adult male rhesuses. , 1973, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[49]  B. Hart,et al.  Effects of medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic lesions of mating behavior of male cats. , 1973, Brain research.

[50]  R. Drewett,et al.  Sexual Behaviour and Sexual Motivation in the Female Rat , 1973, Nature.

[51]  Meyer Bj,et al.  Sexual motivation in the female rat. A methodological study applied to the investigation of the effect of estradiol benzoate. , 1973 .

[52]  J. Falk.  Physiology and Behavior. , 1973 .

[53]  Anogenital explorations and testosterone propionate-induced sexual arousal in rats. , 1972, Behavioral biology.

[54]  D. A. Dewsbury,et al.  Copulatory behavior of male rats under an imposed operant requirement , 1971 .

[55]  J. Beck.  Instrumental conditioned reflexes with sexual reinforcement in rats. , 1971, Acta neurobiologiae experimentalis.

[56]  A. Gerall,et al.  Effect of diencephalic and rhinencephalic lesions on the male rat's sexual behavior. , 1970, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[57]  J. H. Tramezzani.  ENRIQUE B. DEL CASTILLO 1897-1969 , 1970 .

[58]  F. A. Beach.  Coital behavior in dogs. VI. Long-term effects of castration upon mating in the male. , 1970, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[59]  B. Hart.  Role of prior experience in the effects of castration on sexual behavior of male dogs. , 1968, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[60]  R. Lisk.  Neural localization for androgen activation of copulatory behavior in the male rat. , 1967, Endocrinology.

[61]  L. Heimer,et al.  Impairment of mating behavior in male rats following lesions in the preoptic-anterior hypothalamic continuum , 1967 .

[62]  S. P. Grossman,et al.  A textbook of physiological psychology , 1967 .

[63]  J. Konorski.  Integrative activity of the brain : an interdisciplinary approach , 1967 .

[64]  J. Davidson.  Activation of the male rat's sexual behavior by intracerebral implantation of androgen. , 1966, Endocrinology.

[65]  J. Davidson.  Characteristics of sex behaviour in male rats following castration. , 1966, Animal behaviour.

[66]  Seymour Geisser,et al.  Statistical Principles in Experimental Design , 1963 .

[67]  L. Aronson,et al.  The Decline of Sexual Behavior in Male Cats After Castration With Special Reference To the Role of Prior Sexual Experience , 1958 .

[68]  M. Schwartz.  Instrumental and consummatory measures of sexual capacity in the male rat. , 1956, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[69]  F. A. Beach,et al.  Effects of sexual reinforcement upon the performance of male rats in a straight runway. , 1956, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[70]  K. Larsson.  Conditioning and sexual behavior in the male albino rat , 1956 .

[71]  R. Denniston.  Quantification and comparison of sex drives under various conditions in terms of a learned response. , 1954, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[72]  J. Grunt.  Exogenous Androgen and Non-Directed Hyperexcitability in Castrated Male Guinea Pig.∗ , 1954, Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.

[73]  J. Biehl,et al.  Effect of Isoniazid on Vitamin B6 Metabolism; Its Possible Significance in Producing Isoniazid Neuritis.∗ , 1954, Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine.

[74]  W. C. Young,et al.  Consistency of sexual behavior patterns in individual male guinea pigs following castration and androgen therapy. , 1953, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[75]  N. Tinbergen.  "Derived" Activities; Their Causation, Biological Significance, Origin, and Emancipation During Evolution , 1952, The Quarterly Review of Biology.

[76]  F. A. Beach,et al.  Effects of different concentrations of androgen upon sexual behavior in castrated male rats. , 1949, Journal of comparative and physiological psychology.

[77]  F. A. Beach.  COPULATORY BEHAVIOR IN PREPUBERALLY CASTRATED MALE RATS AND ITS MODIFICATION BY ESTROGEN ADMINISTRATION1 , 1942 .

[78]  L. Warner.  A Study of Thirst Behavior in the White Rat by Means of the Obstruction Method , 1928 .