title: Long-term kindling of the basolateral amygdala impairs copulatory behavior in male rats.
abstract: This experiment examined the consequences of long-term kindling of the basolateral amygdala on male sexual behavior and the frequency of both spontaneous wet dog shakes (WDS) and those induced by the 5-HT2A receptor agonist DOI. Results demonstrated that following 60 stimulations of the left basolateral amygdala over a 4-week period, male Long-Evans rats exhibited decrements in every aspect of sexual behavior. Specifically, latencies to mount, intromit and ejaculate were all prolonged following long-term kindling, and ejaculation frequencies were significantly reduced. Furthermore, spontaneous peri-copulatory WDS were increased in kindled rats, suggesting a possible role of the 5-HT2A receptor. However, countering this suggestion, there were no differences between sham and kindled rats on WDS induced by the 5-HT2A receptor agonist DOI. These results suggest that kindled rats may exhibit elevated levels of endogenous serotonin during exposure to a female rat, which would attenuate copulatory behavior, while concurrently increasing WDS expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4.
authors.forename: Orsolya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Magyar
authors.forename: Matthew N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: John P J
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pinel
authors.forename: Boris B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Gorzalka
mesh_terms: D000662:Amphetamines / Q000494:pharmacology; D000679:Amygdala / Q000528:radiation effects*; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003307:Copulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D012018:Reflex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000662:Amphetamines; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; C015952:4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenylisopropylamine