Clitoral stimulation modulates appetitive sexual behavior and facilitates reproduction in rats

Cibrián‐Llanderal, Tamara; Tecamachaltzi-Silvarán, Miriam B.; Río, Rodrigo Triana-Del; Pfaus, James G.; Manzo, Jorge; Coria-Ávila, Genaro A.

doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.02.015

Cited by 25 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Regarding choice processes during mating it has been described early on that, when possible, female rats also control or pace the rate of copulation, by performing solicitation behavior (Beach, 1976 ; McClintock, 1984 ; Erskine, 1989 ; Erskine et al, 1989 ; Pfaus et al, 2000 , 2001 ), in the wild (McClintock and Adler, 1978 ; McClintock et al, 1982 ; McClintock, 1984 ) and laboratory settings (Coria-Avila et al, 2005 ; Guarraci and Frohardt, 2019 ); in fact, paced mating seems to be rewarding and can induce conditioned place preference (Paredes and Alonso, 1997 ), in contrast to non-paced conditions (Martínez and Paredes, 2001 ; Coria-Avila et al, 2005 ). Similar to mice, many studies also suggest the existence of a “vaginal code” (Adler, 1969 ; Chester and Zucker, 1970 ; Terkel and Sawyer, 1978 ; Lehmann and Erskine, 2004 ; Cibrian-Llanderal et al, 2010 ), arguing that female-paced mating has co-evolved in order to increase reproductive fitness. Female rat solicitation behavior in laboratory settings has been observed mostly during mating periods, suggesting that it enhances male sexual motivation and male arousal (Chu and Ågmo, 2016 ) and may signal female sexual motivation towards the male (Ellingsen and Ågmo, 2004 ; Sánchez Montoya et al, 2010 ; Santoru et al, 2014 ).…”

Section: Female Mate Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Genital tactile stimulation (Paredes and Alonso, 1997 ; Paredes and Vazquez, 1999 ; Meerts and Clark, 2009 ; Parada et al, 2010 , 2011 ) and paced mating (Guterl et al, 2015 ) are able to trigger conditioned place preferences (CPP) in female rats (reviewed in Pfaus et al, 2016 ) and, therefore, might be an important cue during mate choice, especially during the phases of on-going and post-copulatory mate choice. Indeed, artificial and experimentally controlled vaginocervical (Meerts and Clark, 2009 ) and clitoral stimulation are able to induce CPP (Cibrian-Llanderal et al, 2010 ; Parada et al, 2010 ) which was blocked by pharmacological (Meerts et al, 2015 ) or nerve ablation experiments (Clark et al, 2011 ). Interestingly they also suggest that only clitoral stimulation is crucial for the development of paced mating (Meerts et al, 2010 , 2015 ; Parada et al, 2010 ).…”

Section: Contribution Of Somatosensation During Mating and Postmating...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hearing, touching, and multisensory integration during mate choice

Lenschow

Mendes

Lima

2022

Front. Neural Circuits

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Mate choice is a potent generator of diversity and a fundamental pillar for sexual selection and evolution. Mate choice is a multistage affair, where complex sensory information and elaborate actions are used to identify, scrutinize, and evaluate potential mating partners. While widely accepted that communication during mate assessment relies on multimodal cues, most studies investigating the mechanisms controlling this fundamental behavior have restricted their focus to the dominant sensory modality used by the species under examination, such as vision in humans and smell in rodents. However, despite their undeniable importance for the initial recognition, attraction, and approach towards a potential mate, other modalities gain relevance as the interaction progresses, amongst which are touch and audition. In this review, we will: (1) focus on recent findings of how touch and audition can contribute to the evaluation and choice of mating partners, and (2) outline our current knowledge regarding the neuronal circuits processing touch and audition (amongst others) in the context of mate choice and ask (3) how these neural circuits are connected to areas that have been studied in the light of multisensory integration.

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Section: Female Mate Choicementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Contribution Of Somatosensation During Mating and Postmating...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hearing, touching, and multisensory integration during mate choice

Lenschow

Mendes

Lima

2022

Front. Neural Circuits

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“…Meerts and Clark (2009) reported that artificial vaginocervical stimulation (VCS) applied with a 1 ml syringe plunger at 200 g of pressure for 2 s at 30-s intervals, for a total of 15 stimulations, induced a reliable CPP in OVX females primed with estradiol and progesterone. Given that VCS stimulates both internal clitoris and cervix, we asked whether clitoral stimulation (CLS) alone could induce CPP (Cibrian-Llanderal et al, 2010;Parada, Chamas, Censi, CoriaAvila, & Pfaus, 2010). In these studies, CLS was administered either with a lubricated paintbrush or a small cotton-tipped vibrator at preferred intervals for 10-15 min over 5-6 reinforced sessions.…”

Section: Black Wallmentioning

confidence: 99%

Who, What, Where, When (and Maybe Even Why)? How the Experience of Sexual Reward Connects Sexual Desire, Preference, and Performance

et al. 2012

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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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“…For example, vaginocervical stimulation at 30‐second intervals for 15 stimulations induced a reliable conditioned place preference in ovariectomized rats primed with estrogen and progesterone . Other studies looked at clitoral stimulation alone—via a lubricated paintbrush or small cotton‐tipped vibrator—and showed that conditioned place preference occurred if the stimulus frequency was 1 stimulation every 5 seconds for five trials . Therefore, the pattern/frequency of the stimulus is important to produce changes in sexual motivation and conditioned place preference and does not occur if the stimulus is of a regular, nonpaced frequency.…”

Section: Behavioral Models Of Sexual Desire and Motivationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal Models for the Study of Female Sexual Dysfunction

Marson

Giamberardino

Costantini

et al. 2013

Sexual Medicine Reviews

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Introduction Significant progress has been made in elucidating the physiological and pharmacological mechanisms of female sexual function through preclinical animal research. The continued development of animal models is vital for the understanding and treatment of the many diverse disorders that occur in women. Aim To provide an updated review of the experimental models evaluating female sexual function that may be useful for clinical translation. Methods Review of English written, peer-reviewed literature, primarily from 2000 to 2012, that described studies on female sexual behavior related to motivation, arousal, physiological monitoring of genital function and urogenital pain. Main Outcomes Measures Analysis of supporting evidence for the suitability of the animal model to provide measurable indices related to desire, arousal, reward, orgasm, and pelvic pain. Results The development of female animal models has provided important insights in the peripheral and central processes regulating sexual function. Behavioral models of sexual desire, motivation, and reward are well developed. Central arousal and orgasmic responses are less well understood, compared with the physiological changes associated with genital arousal. Models of nociception are useful for replicating symptoms and identifying the neurobiological pathways involved. While in some cases translation to women correlates with the findings in animals, the requirement of circulating hormones for sexual receptivity in rodents and the multifactorial nature of women’s sexual function requires better designed studies and careful analysis. The current models have studied sexual dysfunction or pelvic pain in isolation; combining these aspects would help to elucidate interactions of the pathophysiology of pain and sexual dysfunction. Conclusions Basic research in animals has been vital for understanding the anatomy, neurobiology, and physiological mechanisms underlying sexual function and urogenital pain. These models are important for understanding the etiology of female sexual function and for future development of pharmacological treatments for sexual dysfunctions with or without pain.

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Clitoral stimulation modulates appetitive sexual behavior and facilitates reproduction in rats

Cited by 25 publications

References 47 publications

Hearing, touching, and multisensory integration during mate choice

Hearing, touching, and multisensory integration during mate choice

Who, What, Where, When (and Maybe Even Why)? How the Experience of Sexual Reward Connects Sexual Desire, Preference, and Performance

Animal Models for the Study of Female Sexual Dysfunction

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