Prepuberal MPOA lesions and housing condition: effects on rats' male sex behaviors.
After prepuberal male rats underwent either medial preoptic area (MPOA) lesions or sham surgeries, they were housed in all-male groups (SOC-X and SOC-S treatments) or isolation (ISO-X and ISO-S treatments). In the first mating test, SOC-X rats mounted and intromitted more than ISO-X, but not SOC-S, rats. In this and across mating tests, SOC-X did not differ from SOC-S rats in the proportion ejaculating; however, fewer ISO-X than ISO-S rats ejaculated. In the first ejaculatory test, MPOA-lesioned rats ejaculated less and had shorter PEIs than shams. No consistent effects on testes or seminal vesicles (SVs) were observed.
Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska, Omaha 68182-0274.
J S
JS
Klaric
D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011301:Preoptic Area / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology*