Elsevier

Hormones and Behavior

Volume 58, Issue 1, June 2010, Pages 138-148
Hormones and Behavior

“Sex, drugs and the brain”: The interaction between drugs of abuse and sexual behavior in the female rat

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.12.002Get rights and content

Abstract

Preclinical and clinical research investigating female sexual motivation has lagged behind research on male sexual function. The present review summarizes recent advances in our understanding of the specific roles of various brain areas, as well as our understanding of the role of dopaminergic neurotransmission in sexual motivation of the female rat. A number of behavioral paradigms that can be used to thoroughly evaluate sexual behavior in the female rat are first discussed. Although traditional assessment of the reflexive, lordosis posture has been useful in understanding the neuroanatomical and neurochemical systems that contribute to copulatory behavior, the additional behavioral paradigms described in this review have helped us expand our understanding of appetitive and consumatory behavioral patterns that better assess sexual motivation – the equivalent of “desire” in humans. A summary of numerous lesion studies indicates that different areas of the brain, including forebrain and midbrain structures, work together to produce the complex repertoire of female sexual behavior. In addition, by investigating the effects of commonly addictive drugs, we are beginning to elucidate the role of dopaminergic neurotransmission in female sexual motivation. Consequently, research in this area may contribute to meaningful advances in the treatment of human female sexual dysfunction.

Section snippets

Description of mating behavior

Sexual behavior in the female rat is characterized by both receptive and proceptive behaviors. Receptive behavior is defined by the lordosis posture, a dorsal flexion of the female rat's back in response to a mount by a male rat (Beach, 1976). Female rats also engage in proceptive or soliciting behaviors including hopping, darting, ear wiggling, and pacing of sexual stimulation (Erskine, 1989). These behaviors function to “solicit” the attention of potential mates. If a sexually receptive

Anatomical substrates of female sexual motivation

Given the potential overlap between the neural structures that are critical for male sexual motivation and drug reward (Damsma et al., 1992, Pfaus and Phillips, 1989, Pfaus and Phillips, 1991), our first attempt to identify the neural structures critical for female sexual motivation investigated the most obvious system: the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. For example, Pfaus and colleagues (1996) reported increased expression of Fos protein (which can be used as a marker of neuronal activity) in

Implications

As we continue to pursue the questions of what neuroanatomical and neurochemical systems control female sexual motivation, we hope that progress will be made to provide treatment options for sexual dysfunction in our foreseeable future. Nevertheless, we should be cautious when making the leap from the lab to the clinic; animal models are not always perfect examples of human dysfunction. When considering the benefits of the studies discussed in this review as they apply to humans, we must be

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Russell J. Frohardt, Sarah Meerts, Romi Burks and Maha Zewail-Foote for their thoughtful comments on the manuscript.

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