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Ménard S, Gelez H, Jacubovitch M, Coria-Avila GA, Pfaus JG. Appetitive olfactory conditioning in the neonatal male rat facilitates subsequent sexual partner preference. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 121:104858. [PMID: 32919208 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Pairing a neutral odor with a male rat's initial sexual experiences to ejaculation produces a subsequent conditioned ejaculatory preference (CEP) in which males ejaculate preferentially with receptive females that bear the odor relative to unscented receptive females. In 1986, Fillion and Blass reported that neonatal male rats exposed to a neutral lemon odor (citral) painted on their mother's ventrum while nursing ejaculated faster as adults with sexually receptive, citral-scented females compared to unscented receptive females. The present study examined whether the same odor paired with tactile reward in neonatal male rats would alter the subsequent expression of a CEP. Newborn Long-Evans male rats were separated from their mothers each day beginning on Postnatal Day 1 and placed into a Plexiglas cage that contained either unscented or citral-scented bedding (N = 8/group). During each trial, rats were stroked from head to toe with a soft, narrow paintbrush, after which they were returned to their mothers. Males were weaned at 21 days of age and housed in same-treatment pairs for an intervening 50 days. Following habituation to a large open field, males were presented with two sexually receptive Long-Evans females, one scented with citral, and the other unscented, for a 30-min test of copulation. Males in the Paired group copulated and ejaculated preferentially with the scented female whereas males in the Unpaired group showed no preference. Pairing a neutral odor with a reward state in infancy generates a preference in male rats to ejaculate with sexually receptive females bearing the same odor in adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shann Ménard
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada
| | - Hélène Gelez
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada
| | - Mariana Jacubovitch
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada
| | - Genaro A Coria-Avila
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, VER 91193 México
| | - James G Pfaus
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6 Canada; Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, VER 91193 México.
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2
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Ménard S, Gelez H, Girard-Bériault F, Coria-Avila G, Pfaus JG. Differential role of oxytocin and vasopressin in the conditioned ejaculatory preference of the male rat. Physiol Behav 2019; 208:112577. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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3
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Chan J, Stout D, Pittenger ST, Picciotto MR, Lewis AS. Induction of reversible bidirectional social approach bias by olfactory conditioning in male mice. Soc Neurosci 2019; 15:25-35. [PMID: 31303111 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2019.1644370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Social avoidance is a common component of neuropsychiatric disorders that confers substantial functional impairment. An unbiased approach to identify brain regions and neuronal circuits that regulate social avoidance might enable development of novel therapeutics. However, most paradigms that alter social avoidance are irreversible and accompanied by multiple behavioral confounds. Here we report a straightforward behavioral paradigm in male mice enabling the reversible induction of social avoidance or approach with temporal control. C57BL/6J mice repeatedly participated in both negative and positive social experiences. Negative social experience was induced by brief social defeat by an aggressive male CD-1 mouse, while positive social experience was induced by exposure to a female mouse, each conducted daily for five days. Each social experience valence was conducted in a specific odorant context (i.e. negative experience in odorant A, positive experience in odorant B). Odorants were equally preferred pre-conditioning. However, after conditioning, mice sniffed positive experience-paired odorants more than negative experience-paired odorants. Furthermore, positive- or negative-conditioned odorant contexts increased or decreased, respectively, the approach behavior of conditioned mice toward conspecifics. Because individual mice undergo both positive and negative conditioning, this paradigm may be useful to examine neural representations of social approach or avoidance within the same subject.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Chan
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Dawson Stout
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.,The Avielle Foundation, Newtown, CT, USA
| | | | | | - Alan S Lewis
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.,Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Center for Cognitive Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
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4
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Domjan M, Gutiérrez G. The behavior system for sexual learning. Behav Processes 2019; 162:184-196. [PMID: 30831223 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
In this paper we review and update evidence relevant to formulating a behavior system for sexual learning. We emphasize behavioral rather than neurobiological evidence and mechanisms. Our analysis focuses on three types of responses or response modes: general search, focal search, and consummatory or copulatory behavior. We consider how these response modes are influenced by three categories of stimuli: spatially distributed contextual cues, arbitrary localized stimuli, and species-typical cues provided by the sexual partner. We characterize behavior control by these types of stimuli before and after various Pavlovian conditioning procedures in which the unconditioned stimulus is provided by copulation with a sexual partner. The results document extensive Pavlovian modifications of sexual behavior. These conditioning effects reflect new conditioned responses that come to be elicited by various categories of stimuli. In addition, the conditioning of contextual cues and localized stimuli facilitate sexual responding to species-typical cues. Thus, learning experiences enhance how the species-typical cues of a sexual partner stimulate sexual behavior. These modulatory conditioning effects not only produce significant behavioral changes but also increase rates of fertilization of eggs and numbers of offspring produced. These latter findings suggest that sexual learning can lead to differential reproductive success, which in turn can contribute to evolutionary change.
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5
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Quintana GR, Guizar A, Rassi S, Pfaus JG. First sexual experiences determine the development of conditioned ejaculatory preference in male rats. Learn Mem 2018; 25:522-532. [PMID: 30224555 PMCID: PMC6149951 DOI: 10.1101/lm.048090.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
We have shown previously that male rats develop a conditioned ejaculatory preference (CEP) for females scented with a neutral odor like almond or lemon that is paired with the male's post-ejaculatory reward state during their first and subsequent early sexual experiences. However, preexposing males to the neutral odor alone prior to its pairing with sexual reward results in latent inhibition. Here, we examined the phenomenon of unconditioned stimulus (US) preexposure, in which male rats were preexposed to the ejaculatory reward state either one or five times with scented (ScF) versus unscented (UnScF) females prior to multiple ejaculatory trials with females in the opposite condition (e.g., ScF preexposure received 10 subsequent ejaculatory trials with UnScF, whereas UnScF preexposure received 10 subsequent ejaculatory trials with ScF). As before, mate and partner preference was evaluated in an open field where each male had access to two females, one ScF and the other UnScF. Males that underwent five trials of preexposure did not display a CEP for either female. Conversely, males preexposed once to a ScF, and later trained with UnScF developed a preference for the latter, whereas males preexposed once to the UnScF, and then trained with ScF did not show a preference for any of the females. Subsequent exposure to the odor cue alone revealed different patterns of brain activation in areas related to sexual behavior that depended on the animal's group membership. Altogether, these findings demonstrate the pivotal role of first sexual experiences in the establishment of future sexual partner preference in the male rat, and suggest an innate preference for estrous odors over neutral odors that can become conditioned subsequently as predictors of sexual reward.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrés Guizar
- CSBN/Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Sarah Rassi
- CSBN/Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - James G Pfaus
- CSBN/Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
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6
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Quintana GR, Jackson M, Nasr M, Pfaus JG. Effect of CS preexposure on the conditioned ejaculatory preference of the male rat: behavioral analyses and neural correlates. Learn Mem 2018; 25:513-521. [PMID: 30224554 PMCID: PMC6149952 DOI: 10.1101/lm.048108.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Early experiences with sexual reward play a pivotal role in the formation of sexual behavior and partner preference. Associations of salient partner cues, or even neutral cues on a partner, with sexual reward states are a product of Pavlovian learning. However, the extent to which first experiences that associate a neutral stimulus with no immediate consequence, and how that association may affect subsequent associability after being paired with a sexual reward state after copulation to ejaculation, remains unclear. To address this question, sexually naïve males were preexposed over one or five trials to almond scented gauze pads prior to training during which half of the males were trained 10 times with scented receptive females, and the other half with unscented receptive females. A final test of partner preference was conducted in a large open field containing two sexually receptive females, one scented and the other unscented. Males developed a conditioned ejaculatory preference for the type of female they were trained with, except when they were preexposed five times to the odor and then trained with females bearing the same odor, indicating a significant CS preexposure effect. One CS preexposure was not sufficient to inhibit subsequent conditioning. Exposure to the scent before perfusion for inmunohistochemistry, revealed different patterns of brain activation in brain areas previously associated with the development of partner preference, like the medial preoptic area, ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, basolateral amygdala, among others, depending on group membership. Thus, CS preexposure results in a subsequent impairment of the association that links the odor cue to sexual reward and preference. This highlights the impact of the first sexual experiences in future partner preference.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Misha Jackson
- CSBN/Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Mojdeh Nasr
- CSBN/Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - James G Pfaus
- CSBN/Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
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7
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Coria-Avila GA, Cibrian-Llanderal T, Díaz-Estrada VX, García LI, Toledo-Cárdenas R, Pfaus JG, Manzo J. Brain activation associated to olfactory conditioned same-sex partner preference in male rats. Horm Behav 2018; 99:50-56. [PMID: 29458055 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2018.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Revised: 02/03/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Sexual preferences can be strongly modified by Pavlovian learning. For instance, olfactory conditioned same-sex partner preference can occur when a sexually naïve male cohabits with an scented male during repeated periods under the effects of enhanced D2-type activity. Preference is observed days later via social and sexual behaviors. Herein we explored brain activity related to learned same-sex preference (Fos-Immunoreactivity, IR) following exposure to a conditioned odor paired with same-sex preference. During conditioning trials males received either saline or the D2-type receptor agonist quinpirole (QNP) and cohabitated during 24 h with a stimulus male that bore almond scent on the back as conditioned stimulus. This was repeated every 4 days, for a total of three trials. In a drug-free final test we assessed socio/sexual partner preference between the scented male and a receptive female. The results indicated that QNP-conditioned males developed a same-sex preference observed via contact, time spent, olfactory investigations, and non-contact erections. By contrast, saline-conditioned and intact (non-exposed to conditioning) males expressed an unconditioned preference for the female. Four days later the males were exposed to almond scent and their brains were processed for Fos-IR. Results indicated that the QNP-conditioned group expressed more Fos-IR in the nucleus accumbens (AcbSh), medial preoptic area (MPA), piriform cortex (Pir) and ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMH) as compared to saline-conditioned. Intact males expressed the lowest Fos-IR in AcbSh and VMH, but the highest in MPA and Pir. We discuss the role of these areas in the learning process of same-sex partner preferences and olfactory discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Luis I García
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico
| | | | - James G Pfaus
- CSBN/Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Jorge Manzo
- Centro de Investigaciones Cerebrales, Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico
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8
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Ramírez-Rodríguez R, Tecamachaltzi-Silvaran MB, Díaz-Estrada VX, Chena-Becerra F, Herrera-Covarrubias D, Paredes-Ramos P, Manzo J, Garcia LI, Coria-Avila GA. Heterosexual experience prevents the development of conditioned same-sex partner preference in male rats. Behav Processes 2017; 136:43-49. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Revised: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2017] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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9
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Neurobiology of social attachments. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 43:173-82. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2013] [Revised: 04/05/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Brom M, Both S, Laan E, Everaerd W, Spinhoven P. The role of conditioning, learning and dopamine in sexual behavior: a narrative review of animal and human studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2013; 38:38-59. [PMID: 24211372 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2013] [Revised: 10/22/2013] [Accepted: 10/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Many theories of human sexual behavior assume that sexual stimuli obtain arousing properties through associative learning processes. It is widely accepted that classical conditioning contributes to the etiology of both normal and maladaptive human behaviors. Despite the hypothesized importance of basic learning processes in sexual behavior, research on classical conditioning of the sexual response in humans is scarce. In the present paper, animal studies and studies in humans on the role of pavlovian conditioning on sexual responses are reviewed. Animal research shows robust, direct effects of conditioning processes on partner- and place preference. On the contrast, the empirical research with humans in this area is limited and earlier studies within this field are plagued by methodological confounds. Although recent experimental demonstrations of human sexual conditioning are neither numerous nor robust, sexual arousal showed to be conditionable in both men and women. The present paper serves to highlight the major empirical findings and to renew the insight in how stimuli can acquire sexually arousing value. Hereby also related neurobiological processes in reward learning are discussed. Finally, the connections between animal and human research on the conditionability of sexual responses are discussed, and suggestions for future directions in human research are given.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirte Brom
- Institute of Psychology, Clinical, Health and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Department of Psychosomatic Gynaecology and Sexology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Stephanie Both
- Department of Psychosomatic Gynaecology and Sexology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ellen Laan
- Department of Sexology and Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Walter Everaerd
- Department Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Philip Spinhoven
- Institute of Psychology, Clinical, Health and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, The Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands
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11
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Petrulis A. Chemosignals, hormones and mammalian reproduction. Horm Behav 2013; 63:723-41. [PMID: 23545474 PMCID: PMC3667964 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2013.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2013] [Revised: 03/18/2013] [Accepted: 03/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Many mammalian species use chemosignals to coordinate reproduction by altering the physiology and behavior of both sexes. Chemosignals prime reproductive physiology so that individuals become sexually mature and active at times when mating is most probable and suppress it when it is not. Once in reproductive condition, odors produced and deposited by both males and females are used to find and select individuals for mating. The production, dissemination and appropriate responses to these cues are modulated heavily by organizational and activational effects of gonadal sex steroids and thereby intrinsically link chemical communication to the broader reproductive context. Many compounds have been identified as "pheromones" but very few have met the expectations of that term: a unitary, species-typical substance that is both necessary and sufficient for an experience-independent behavioral or physiological response. In contrast, most responses to chemosignals are dependent or heavily modulated by experience, either in adulthood or during development. Mechanistically, chemosignals are perceived by both main and accessory (vomeronasal) olfactory systems with the importance of each system tied strongly to the nature of the stimulus rather than to the response. In the central nervous system, the vast majority of responses to chemosignals are mediated by cortical and medial amygdala connections with hypothalamic and other forebrain structures. Despite the importance of chemosignals in mammals, many details of chemical communication differ even among closely related species and defy clear categorization. Although generating much research and public interest, strong evidence for the existence of a robust chemical communication among humans is lacking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aras Petrulis
- Georgia State University, Neuroscience Institute, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
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12
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Pfaus JG, Kippin TE, Coria-Avila GA, Gelez H, Afonso VM, Ismail N, Parada M. Who, what, where, when (and maybe even why)? How the experience of sexual reward connects sexual desire, preference, and performance. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2012; 41:31-62. [PMID: 22402996 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-012-9935-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
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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Affiliation(s)
- James G Pfaus
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke W., Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada.
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13
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Partner preference for strain of female in Long–Evans male rats. Physiol Behav 2011; 102:285-90. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2010] [Revised: 08/04/2010] [Accepted: 09/06/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Conditioned ejaculatory preference in male rats paired with haloperidol-treated females. Physiol Behav 2010; 100:116-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2009] [Revised: 02/07/2010] [Accepted: 02/10/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Kvitvik IL, Berg KM, Ågmo A. A neutral odor may become a sexual incentive through classical conditioning in male rats. LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lmot.2009.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Pfaus J, Tse T, Werk C, Chanda M, Leblonde A, Harbour V, Chapman C. Enhanced synaptic responses in the piriform cortex associated with sexual stimulation in the male rat. Neuroscience 2009; 164:1422-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2009.09.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2009] [Revised: 09/03/2009] [Accepted: 09/22/2009] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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17
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Camacho FJ, Portillo W, Quintero-Enríquez O, Paredes RG. Reward value of intromissions and morphine in male rats evaluated by conditioned place preference. Physiol Behav 2009; 98:602-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2009.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2009] [Revised: 09/14/2009] [Accepted: 09/18/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Ismail N, Gelez H, Lachapelle I, Pfaus JG. Pacing conditions contribute to the conditioned ejaculatory preference for a familiar female in the male rat. Physiol Behav 2008; 96:201-8. [PMID: 18835287 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2008] [Revised: 09/09/2008] [Accepted: 09/11/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Male rats show greater unconditioned sexual arousal and mating preference for a novel female compared to a familiar one. However, they also display a conditioned preference to ejaculate with a female bearing an odor paired previously with copulation to ejaculation, suggesting that their copulatory strategies are not fixed. The aim of the present study was to examine if males might prefer a familiar or a novel female after repeated copulation with the same female in a pacing chamber bisected by a 1-hole or a 4-hole divider. Sexually naïve male Long Evans rats were assigned to copulate with the same almond-scented or unscented female in a 1-hole or 4-hole pacing chamber for 10 conditioning trials at 4-day intervals. Four days following the last trial, each male was given a partner preference test during which they had the choice to copulate with either the familiar or a novel scented or unscented female. Results showed that males trained to copulate in 1-hole pacing chambers developed a conditioned ejaculatory preference for their familiar almond-scented female. However, if the familiar female was not scented with almond odor or if a novel female was bearing the almond odor, 1-hole trained males failed to display conditioned ejaculatory preference. Males trained in the 4-hole condition did not display a conditioned ejaculatory preference. These findings indicate that pacing conditions in which males have restricted access to the female contribute to the conditioned ejaculatory preference for familiar females bearing a neutral odor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nafissa Ismail
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montréal, QC, Canada H4B 1R6
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19
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Coria-Avila GA, Pfaus JG. Neuronal activation by stimuli that predict sexual reward in female rats. Neuroscience 2007; 148:623-32. [PMID: 17693029 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.05.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2007] [Revised: 05/17/2007] [Accepted: 06/06/2007] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Conditioned stimuli (CSs) associated with paced copulation induce a conditioned partner preference for males bearing the CS. Here we examined the activation of Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) following exposure to a CS previously paired with either paced or nonpaced copulation. Ovariectomized, hormone-primed rats received 10 sequential conditioning trials at 4-day intervals. In experiment 1, females in the odor-paired group learned to associate an almond odor on a male with paced copulation and an unscented male with nonpaced copulation. In the odor-unpaired group, females received the opposite association. In experiment 2, females associated two different strains of male, Long-Evans or Wistar, with paced or nonpaced copulation, respectively. A preference test indicated that females in both experiments developed a conditioned preference for the pacing-related males, as indicated by significantly more solicitations toward the male and a preference to copulate with the pacing-related male. Subsequently, females were exposed to the CS (odor or strain) alone for 1 h prior to kill and preparation of their brains for immunocytochemistry. In both experiments, the CS associated with paced copulation produced significantly more Fos-IR in the piriform cortex, medial preoptic area, and ventral tegmental area, relative to the same odor or strain cues associated with nonpaced copulation. These findings provide evidence that the state associated with paced copulation can be conditioned to environmental stimuli such as neutral odors or strain cues, which earn an incentive value via classical conditioning. The significance of the brain areas activated is discussed with regard to their role in sexual and other motivated behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- G A Coria-Avila
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke W., Montréal, QC, Canada H4B 1R6
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Lovell JL, Diehl A, Joyce E, Cohn J, Lopez J, Guarraci FA. “Some guys have all the luck”: Mate preference influences paced-mating behavior in female rats. Physiol Behav 2007; 90:537-44. [PMID: 17178134 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2006] [Revised: 11/04/2006] [Accepted: 11/07/2006] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
In the present study, mating behavior was observed in female rats that were given the opportunity to mate with two males simultaneously. Three groups of females were tested: 1) sexually naïve, naturally cycling rats in proestrous; 2) sexually naïve, hormone-primed, ovariectomized (OVX) rats; and 3) hormone-primed, OVX rats tested 1 week after sexual receptivity testing. One male rat was determined to be the preferred male for each female, if she spent more time with him during a mating test. Independent of sexual experience, female rats were less likely to leave their preferred male than their non-preferred male following intromissions. However, when they left their preferred male, they returned to him faster than to their non-preferred male. This effect of preference was slightly more robust in the OVX rats. When female rats from Group 2 were tested with the same pair of males for 3 additional tests, each female's preference for a particular male was stable. That is, a female rat preferred the same male in approximately 3 out of the 4 tests, which is more likely than would be expected by chance. In a final experiment, pairs of male rats were tested with different females once weekly to determine if different females would prefer particular males consistently. Although no male rat was preferred by all females, females consistently preferred the same male from each pair during approximately 70% of the tests. In conclusion, female mate preference may have adaptive significance for the reproductive success of rats.
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Coria-Avila GA, Ouimet AJ, Pacheco P, Manzo J, Pfaus JG. Olfactory Conditioned Partner Preference in the Female Rat. Behav Neurosci 2005; 119:716-25. [PMID: 15998192 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7044.119.3.716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Paced copulation induces conditioned place preference in female rats. The authors examined whether associating almond-scented males with paced copulation induces conditioned partner preference. The paired group received 4 paced copulations with almond-scented males and 4 nonpaced copulations with unscented males sequentially at 4-day intervals. The unpaired group received the opposite order of association, whereas the randomly paired group received random associations. A 4th group received a single pairing. On the final test, females were placed into an open field with 2 males, 1 scented and 1 unscented. Females in the paired group solicited the scented male more frequently, and most chose the scented male for their 1st ejaculation. Thus, an odor paired with paced copulation elicits conditioned partner preference in female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genaro A Coria-Avila
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Kippin TE, van der Kooy D. Excitotoxic lesions of the tegmental pedunculopontine nucleus impair copulation in naive male rats and block the rewarding effects of copulation in experienced male rats. Eur J Neurosci 2003; 18:2581-91. [PMID: 14622159 DOI: 10.1046/j.1460-9568.2003.02918.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The tegmental pedunculopontine nucleus (TPP) of the brainstem mediates food reward in food-sated animals and opiate reward in drug-naive animals. In the present study, we examine the effect of excitotoxic lesions of the TPP on sexual behaviour in naive and experienced male rats. Male, Long-Evans rats received either 0.25 micro L injections of NMDA (4.2 micro g/side) or vehicle (shams) into the TPP. In sexually naive males, complete bilateral TPP lesions decreased all measure of copulation (i.e. mounts, intromissions and ejaculations), prevented acquisition of conditioned sexual excitement, decreased approach preference for a receptive female over a non-receptive one, and decreased non-contact erections; unilateral or bilateral posterior-sparing TPP lesions did not affect any of these measures. Conversely, in sexually experienced males, lesions not only failed to disrupt copulation, but also increased conditioned sexual excitement, decreased post-ejaculatory interval and blocked the effect of prolonged copulation on conditioned sexual excitement. Following differential pairing of distinctive environments with and without copulation, sham males with sexual experience displayed a significant preference for the environment paired with copulation, whereas the lesion males with sexual experience displayed a significant aversion for the environment paired with copulation. These findings indicate that the TPP is critical for the acquisition of copulation in naive males and mediates the rewarding consequences of copulation in experienced males. Together these findings demonstrate that the TPP mediates sexual reward, but that sexual experience is not sufficient to produce a deprivation state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tod E Kippin
- Neurobiology Research Group, Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A8, Canada.
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Kippin TE, Cain SW, Pfaus JG. Estrous odors and sexually conditioned neutral odors activate separate neural pathways in the male rat. Neuroscience 2003; 117:971-9. [PMID: 12654349 DOI: 10.1016/s0306-4522(02)00972-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Olfactory stimuli play important roles in sexual behavior. Previous studies have demonstrated that both estrous odors and initially neutral odors paired with copulation influence the sexual behavior of male rats. The present study examines the pattern of neural activation as revealed by Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-IR) following exposure to bedding scented with either a neutral odor (almond) paired previously with copulation, estrous odors or no odor. Following exposure to estrous odors Fos-IR increased in the accessory olfactory bulb, medial amygdala, medial bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial preoptic area, ventromedial hypothalamus, ventral tegmental area, and both the nucleus accumbens core and shell. Conversely, following exposure to the sexually conditioned odor Fos-IR increased in the piriform cortex, basolateral amygdala, nucleus accumbens core, and the anterior portion of the lateral hypothalamic area. In addition, following exposure to almond odor Fos-IR increased in the main olfactory bulb independent of its pairing with copulation. These patterns of Fos-IR following exposure to estrous or sexually conditioned odors were not influenced by either the addition or omission of the other type of odor. These findings demonstrate that estrous and sexually conditioned odors are processed by distinct neural pathways and converge in the nucleus accumbens core, suggesting that this structure has a unique role in processing sexual stimuli of both pheromonal and olfactory natures.
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Affiliation(s)
- T E Kippin
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, QC, Montréal, Canada.
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Kippin TE, Pfaus JG. The nature of the conditioned response mediating olfactory conditioned ejaculatory preference in the male rat. Behav Brain Res 2001; 122:11-24. [PMID: 11287072 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-4328(01)00162-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We have developed a model to study the influence of conditioning on sexual partner preference in the rat. In this model, pairing a neutral odor (almond) with copulation to ejaculation produces a subsequent preference to ejaculate with females bearing that odor. We refer to this phenomenon as a conditioned ejaculatory preference (CEP). The present study investigates the nature of the conditioned response that mediates CEP. Given equal mount and intromission distributions, but an unequal ejaculation distribution, we hypothesized that two mechanisms could account for CEP: facilitated ejaculation or selective ejaculation. To test these hypotheses, we examined the effect of omitting the olfactory conditioned stimulus (CS) or applying it to a nonreceptive female. Males trained with the CS paired with copulation (paired-trained males) failed to display evidence of delayed ejaculation when copulating with unscented females. Conversely, paired-trained males displayed CS-elicited copulatory behavior with CS-bearing nonreceptive females. In addition, we re-analyzed the data from the copulatory preference tests of previous experiments for CEP-displaying males. Again, we failed to find evidence of facilitated ejaculation with the scented female. However, the time between the last mount or intromission and ejaculation was increased if either occurred with the scented female. Furthermore, more mounts were directed towards the scented female near the end, but not at other points, of an ejaculatory series. These findings suggest that the paired-trained males attend to the scented female near the point of ejaculation, and are consistent with the hypothesis that CEP is mediated by selective ejaculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- T E Kippin
- Center for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Québec, Montréal, Canada.
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