title: Multiunit recording of the cerebellar cortex, inferior olive, and fastigial nucleus during copulation in naive and sexually experienced male rats.
abstract: The sexual behavior of male rats constitutes a natural model to study learning of motor skills at the level of the central nervous system. We previously showed that sexual behavior increases Fos expression in granule cells at lobules 6 to 9 of the vermis cerebellum. Herein, we obtained multiunit recordings of lobules 6a and 7 during the training period of naive subjects, and during consecutive ejaculations of expert males. Recordings from both lobules and the inferior olive showed that the maximum amplitude of mount, intromission, and ejaculation signals were similar, but sexual behavior during training tests produced a decrease in the amplitude for mount and intromission signals. The fastigial nucleus showed an inverse mirror-like response. Thus, the cerebellum is involved in the neural basis of sexual behavior and the learning of appropriate behavioral displays during copulation, with a wiring that involves the cerebellar cortex, inferior olive, and fastigial nucleus.
authors.affiliation: Doctorado en Neuroetologia, Universidad Veracruzana, Veracruz, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rolando
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garcia-Martinez
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miquel
authors.forename: Luis I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Genaro A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Coria-Avila
authors.forename: Cesar A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.forename: Gonzalo E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Aranda-Abreu
authors.forename: Rebeca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Toledo
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hernandez
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Manzo
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002525:Cerebellar Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D002529:Cerebellar Nuclei / Q000502:physiology*; D003307:Copulation / Q000502:physiology*; D004542:Ejaculation / Q000502:physiology; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009847:Olivary Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology