title: Co-regulation of female sexual behavior and pregnancy induction: an exploratory synthesis.
abstract: This paper will review both new and old data that address the question of whether brain mechanisms involved in reproductive function act in a coordinated way to control female sexual behavior and the induction of pregnancy/pseudopregnancy (P/PSP) by vaginocervical stimulation. Although it is clear that female sexual behavior, including pacing behavior, is important for induction of P/PSP, there has been no concerted effort to examine whether or how common mechanisms may control both functions. Because initiation of P/PSP requires that the female receive vaginocervical stimulation, central mechanisms controlling P/PSP may be modulated by or interactive with those that control female sexual behavior. This paper presents a synthesis of the literature and recent data from our lab for the purpose of examining whether there are interactions between behavioral and neuroendocrine mechanisms which reciprocally influence both reproductive functions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA. erskine@bu.edu
authors.forename: Mary S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Erskine
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.forename: Nicole M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: Eva K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Polston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology; D036361:Peptide Hormones / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D011555:Pseudopregnancy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D014621:Vagina / Q000294:innervation
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D036361:Peptide Hormones; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine