Central nervous mechanisms involved in the reproductive behavior of vertebrates.

Neuroendocrinology of Male Reproductive Behavior

“…More clinical studies are needed to determine conclusively whether the aromatization of T to E plays an essential role in the regulation of sexual motivation and mating performance in higher primates including man. Regardless of the outcome of such studies, the available comparative evidence supports the early suggestion of Frank Beach (1942b) that the degree to which males of different species depend upon gonadal hormones for its ability to display courtship and mating behaviors is inversely correlated with the degree of cerebral cortex development. An exception to this rule is now discussed.…”

The physiology of motivation.

“…It should be especially instructive to see what effects cortical and thalamic lesions have after significant changes in motivation have been produced by hypothalamic lesions. 9. Learning contributes along with other factors to the control of motivation, probably through direct influence on the hypothalamus.…”

Heterozygosity and retention of ejaculatory reflex after castration in male mice.

“…The most influential cross-species hypothesis, however, does not deal with types of decline but with the idea that dependence on gonadal hormones decreases with increasing development of the forebrain (e.g., Beach, 1942Beach, , 1947Beach, , 1969. Thus, castrated rodents should lose sexual behavior more rapidly than castrated carnivores, and indeed most of the previous evidence indicates that they do.…”