title: Learned aversions to copulatory behaviors in male rats.
abstract: When male rats received an injection of lithium chloride immediately after an encounter with an estrous female, the vigor of subsequent copulatory responding was initially unaffected. After 5 to 10 such pairings, however, male rats displayed an aversion to copulatory behaviors; they ceased to copulate entirely. These aversions persisted when the rats were tested in a novel environment and extinguished after four nonreinforced trials. This multiple-trial adaptation of the conditioned taste aversion paradigm provides a new approach to the aversive control of sexual behavior.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002712:Chlorides / Q000494:pharmacology; D003214:Conditioning, Classical; D003307:Copulation; D004777:Environment; D005108:Extinction, Psychological; D005260:Female; D008094:Lithium / Q000494:pharmacology; D018021:Lithium Chloride; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D002712:Chlorides; D008094:Lithium; D018021:Lithium Chloride