title: Dopamine and sexual behavior in the male rabbit.
abstract: Male rabbits were treated with the dopamine releasing drug amphetamine or the dopamine D1/D2 receptor antagonist cis(Z)-flupenthixol. Amphetamine, 1 to 4 mg/kg, had no effect on sexual behavior. Flupenthixol, 2 mg/kg, reduced the proportion of rabbits that ejaculated and the number of ejaculations per test. Lower doses were ineffective. Castrated males were treated with both drugs at two intervals after castration, 19-21 and 27-29 days postcastration, respectively. Amphetamine was without effect while flupenthixol, 1 mg/kg, reduced sexual behavior at the test 19-21 days postcastration. At the second test, sexual behavior was almost completely absent in control animals. Therefore, no further reduction could be observed after treatment with flupenthixol. Another group of animals was castrated and given androgen replacement. Testosterone decanoate was injected once weekly at a dose of 3 mg/kg. This treatment maintained a stable, low sexual activity. In these animals, amphetamine was again ineffective whereas flupenthixol, 1 mg/kg, inhibited sexual behavior. Gross motor function was evaluated in a water escape test. Amphetamine was inactive, and the effective dose of flupenthixol was 10 mg/kg. This dose is far above the dose required for inhibiting sexual behavior. In sum, facilitated dopaminergic transmission does not seem to affect on sexual behavior in the male rabbit, whereas reduced dopaminergic activity disrupts this behavior.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Psychophysiologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université de Tours, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agmo
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Paredes
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Contreras
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000187:drug effects; D005475:Flupenthixol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D009919:Orchiectomy; D011817:Rabbits; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013550:Swimming; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D013739:Testosterone; D005475:Flupenthixol; D003913:Dextroamphetamine; D004298:Dopamine