title: The effects of dopaminergic agonists on genital reflexes in paradoxical sleep-deprived male rats.
abstract: Dopamine (DA) agonists provide evidence that different receptor subtypes in the central nervous system (CNS) have influence in sexual behavior. Sleep deprivation induces supersensibility of DA receptors and previous work has shown that the DA agonist apomorphine enhances spontaneous genital reflexes (penile erection-PE and ejaculation-EJ) in rats deprived of paradoxical sleep. The present study sought to extend the latter finding by assessing the effects of other DA agonists in paradoxical sleep-deprived (PSD) male rats. The DA drugs (bromocriptine and piribedil) were acutely administered to rats that had been deprived of sleep for 4 days and to normal controls. Sleep deprivation alone induced PE and this effect was potentiated by piribedil, with maximal effects occurring with the 8 mg/kg dose, whereas only one dose of bromocriptine (8 mg/kg) induced more PE in PSD rats than in non-deprived treated controls. EJs were increased in piribedil PSD groups but this response was absent after bromocriptine treatment in the dose range tested. Our data show the genital reflexes that occurred in PSD rats are potentialized by piribedil and not by bromocriptine. These DA agonists showed distinct effects in sexual response suggesting that these effects are probably due to PSD-induced DA receptor supersensitivity even though different mechanisms are involved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Rua Napoleão de Barros, 925, Vila Clementino, SP-04024-002, São Paulo, Brazil. mandersen@sti.com.br
authors.forename: Monica L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tufik
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001971:Bromocriptine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D010410:Penile Erection / Q000187:drug effects*; D010891:Piribedil / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D001971:Bromocriptine; D010891:Piribedil