Stimulation of dopamine receptors in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus of male rats induces penile erection and increases extra-cellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens: Involvement of central oxytocin

Succu, Salvatora; Sanna, Fabrizio; Melis, Tiziana; Boi, Antonio; Argiolas, Antonio; Melis, Maria Rosaria

doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2006.10.019

Cited by 110 publications

(111 citation statements)

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“…The interaction of OT and DA in the PVN, mPOA, VTA, and NAc of male rats induces penile erections and links them to appropriate appetitive sexual behaviors (Succu et al, 2007). Thus, opioid reward states may form the rudimentary mechanism of bonding because they sensitize DA release in the presence of reward-related cues compelling animals to focus their attention and goal-directed behavior toward those cues.…”

Section: Neural Correlatesmentioning

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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Section: Neural Correlatesmentioning

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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“…Dopamine D 4 receptors and serotonin HT 1A receptors are expressed in the hypothalamic PVN and SON regions and appear to modulate oxytocin neuronal activation. Stimulation of dopamine D 4 receptors (Succu et al 2007) and serotonin HT 1A receptors (Jorgensen et al 2003) increases oxytocin release. Together, the evidence supports grouping the genes on the basis of their behavioral, biological, and anatomical relationships.…”

Section: Integrative Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gene–culture interactions: a multi-gene approach

2014

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Previous studies have identified genetic variants linked to increased susceptibility to socio-cultural influences. These studies typically show that individuals with the more susceptible variant of a specific polymorphism exhibit social behavior more in accordance with surrounding cultural norms. Given limitations of the single gene approach, we propose to assess genetic susceptibility with a multigene index, composed of polymorphisms previously identified in gene-culture interaction studies. Specifically, we are interested in whether the combined susceptibility index moderates cultural differences in self-expression. In the present study, Americans and Koreans completed psychological and behavioral assessments of self-expression tendencies and provided DNA samples, which were genotyped for preselected OXTR, 5HTR1A, SERT, and DRD4 polymorphisms. Results show that the genetic susceptibility index predicts a wider range of self-expression outcomes than what is predicted by individual polymorphisms. The findings underscore the importance of developing biologically and functionally informed models of genetic influence. Further the work demonstrates a model for examining the effects of multiple genes simultaneously and advances our understanding of how genetic and socio-cultural factors jointly contribute to shape social behaviors.

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“…Dopamine is one of the main neurotransmitters involved in the central control of erectile functions, genital reflexes and male sexual behavior (Andersen et al, 2003;Argiolas and Melis, 2005;Giuliano and Rampin, 2000a,b;Giuliano and Allard, 2001;Heaton, 2000;Hull et al, 1986;Martino et al, 2005;Melis and Argiolas, 1995;Melis et al, 2006;Moses et al, 1995;Paredes and Agmo, 2004;Pehek et al, 1989;Succu et al, 2007). Apparently, the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, especially its oxytocinergic neurons, play an eminent role in the control of erectile function Melis, 2004, 2005;Martino et al, 2005;Succu et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Apparently, the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, especially its oxytocinergic neurons, play an eminent role in the control of erectile function Melis, 2004, 2005;Martino et al, 2005;Succu et al, 2007). Extracellular dopamine levels increase in the medial preoptic area (Hull et al, 1993), nucleus accumbens (Pfaus et al, 1990;Pleim et al, 1990) and in the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (Melis et al, 2003) during sexual activity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of acute and chronic apomorphine on sex behavior and copulation-induced neural activation in the male rat

Olivier

Jong

Dederen

et al. 2007

European Journal of Pharmacology

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Apomorphine is a non-selective dopaminergic receptor agonist. Because of its pro-erectile effects, apomorphine is clinically used for treatment of erectile dysfunction. We investigated the effects of subcutaneous apomorphine administration (0.4 mg/kg rat) on sexual behavior and matinginduced Fos-expression following acute (day 1) or chronic apomorphine treatment (days 8 and 15) in sexually experienced male rats. Consistent facilitatory effects of apomorphine were observed in the reduced numbers of mounts and intromissions over time and an increased ejaculation frequency on day 1. The first post-ejaculatory interval, however, was lengthened, while other behavioral parameters were unaffected. Fosimmunoreactivity induced by acute apomorphine administration (barrel cortex, paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, central amygdala and locus coeruleus) was strongly reduced after chronic administration. After mating, induction of Fos-immunoreactivity was observed in well-known areas like medial preoptic nucleus and the posterodorsal medial amygdaloid area. Apomorphine, however, reduced mating-induced Fosimmunoreactivity in the nucleus accumbens shell and prevented its occurrence in its core area. This remarkable apomorphine effect was not observed in any other brain area. We conclude that the behavioral (pro-erectile) effects of apomorphine are consistent over time, and that the diminished accumbens-Fos-immunoreactivity and the elongated post-ejaculatory interval may reflect a decreased response to remote cues from the estrus female.

show abstract

Stimulation of dopamine receptors in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus of male rats induces penile erection and increases extra-cellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens: Involvement of central oxytocin

Cited by 110 publications

References 58 publications

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

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

Gene–culture interactions: a multi-gene approach

Effects of acute and chronic apomorphine on sex behavior and copulation-induced neural activation in the male rat

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