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

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.

Competing dopamine neurons drive oviposition choice for ethanol in Drosophila

“…In flies, the function of dopaminergic neurons has been implicated in responses to both rewarding and aversive stimuli (16)(17)(18)(19), making it a candidate neuromodulator to signal the beneficial and detrimental effects of ethanol. Dopamine signaling has also been implicated in other innate behaviors required for survival, such as food consumption, sex, and social interaction (20)(21)(22). Although the circuitry for ethanol oviposition preference is unknown, both dopaminergic and mushroom body (MB) signaling is required for flies to remember ethanol as a reward (23).…”

Neurobiology of Sexual Desire

“…Interface between the medial preoptic area and nucleus accumbens have also been documented (Balfour et al, 2004;Everitt, 1990;Pfaus et al, 2012).…”

“…The medial preoptic area is more of a center that coordinates the internal state with external contingencies. In general, dopamine within the medial preoptic area is critical for solicitations in females (Graham and Pfaus, 2010;Pfaus et al, 2012). As summarized below, many studies have reported involvement of the nucleus accumbens in the regulation of sexual motivation.…”

“…The molecular mechanisms of animal sexual motivation within the medial preoptic area are well established. (Alexander et al, 1994;Becker, 1990;Blackburn et al, 1992;Edwards and Einhorn, 1986;Erskine, 1989;Everitt and Stacey, 1987;Giuliano and Allard, 2001;Graham and Pfaus, 2010;Hansen and af Hagelsrum, 1984;Hansen et al, 1982;Hart, 1986;Hoshina et al, 1994;Hull, 2011;Hull and Rodriguez-Manzo, 2009;Hull et al, 1995Hull et al, , 1989Hughes et al, 1990;Kato and Sakuma, 2000;Matuszewich et al, 2000;Melis and Argiolas, 1995;Meisel and Sachs, 1994;Paredes and Baum, 1997;Pfaus, 1999Pfaus, a&b, 2009Pfaus and Everitt, 1995;Pfaus and Heeb, 1997;Pfaus et al, 1990aPfaus et al, , 2009Pfaus et al, , 2012Pfaus and Phillips, 1991;Ryan and Frankel, 1978;Sachs and Meisel, 1988;Sakuma, 1995Sakuma, , 2008Sanderson et al, 2008;Sato and Hull, 2006;Sato et al, 2005;Slimp et al, 1978;Stefanick and Davidson, 1987). …”

Neurobiology of social attachments

“…When copulation occurs, the female rat is prepared not only to accept the male and receive sexual stimulation (clitoral and vaginocervical), but also her brain is in a hormonal state that facilitates learning. The effect of hormones, and sexual stimulation are required for female rats to develop conditioned partner preferences triggered by sexual stimuli (Parada et al, 2010;Corona et al, 2011;Parada et al, 2011;Pfaus et al, 2012).…”