Sympathetic control of sexual reflexes: peripheral 6-hydroxydopamine administration facilitates the onset of penile reflexes in male rats.
The latency to display penile reflexes was significantly reduced in male rats tested one day following treatment with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA; 75 mg/kg, administered via acute tail vein injection). Eight days following treatment the latency to the first reflex in 6-OHDA treated males did not differ significantly from saline treated control subjects. There were no significant differences in the mean number of erections or flips displayed by 6-OHDA subjects when compared to saline treated control subjects. On tests one day after 6-OHDA administration, treated subjects displayed significantly fewer cups than control subjects on the corresponding tests. Chemical sympathectomy was verified by extreme reduction of peripheral norepinephrine levels. Results of this study are consistant with those reported for spinally transected rats tested under similar conditions (that is, one day following spinal transection), and suggest sympathetic inhibition of the onset of penile reflexes.
D000818:Animals; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D008297:Male; D009433:Neural Inhibition; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology; D016627:Oxidopamine; D010413:Penis / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology; D013563:Sympathectomy, Chemical; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*
D006892:Hydroxydopamines; D016627:Oxidopamine; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine