Pain reduces sexual motivation in female but not male mice.
Chronic pain is often associated with sexual dysfunction, suggesting that pain can reduce libido. We find that inflammatory pain reduces sexual motivation, measured via mounting behavior and/or proximity in a paced mating paradigm, in female but not male laboratory mice. Pain was produced by injection of inflammogens zymosan A (0.5 mg/ml) or λ-carrageenan (2%) into genital or nongenital (hind paw, tail, cheek) regions. Sexual behavior was significantly reduced in female mice experiencing pain (in all combinations); male mice similarly treated displayed unimpeded sexual motivation. Pain-induced reductions in female sexual behavior were observed in the absence of sex differences in pain-related behavior, and could be rescued by the analgesic, pregabalin, and the libido-enhancing drugs, apomorphine and melanotan-II. These findings suggest that the well known context sensitivity of the human female libido can be explained by evolutionary rather than sociocultural factors, as female mice can be similarly affected.
Department of Psychology and Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill University, Montréal, Quebec H3A 1B1, Canada, and Department of Psychology and Centre for Studies in Behavioral Neurobiology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada.
Melissa A
MA
Farmer
Alison
A
Leja
Emily
E
Foxen-Craft
Lindsey
L
Chan
Leigh C
LC
MacIntyre
Tina
T
Niaki
Mengsha
M
Chen
Josiane C S
JC
Mapplebeck
Vanessa
V
Tabry
Lucas
L
Topham
Melissa
M
Sukosd
Yitzchak M
YM
Binik
James G
JG
Pfaus
Jeffrey S
JS
Mogil
D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002351:Carrageenan; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D007989:Libido / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009042:Motivation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010146:Pain / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000523:psychology*; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D000069583:Pregabalin; D012737:Sex Factors; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015054:Zymosan; D000521:alpha-MSH / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology
D000700:Analgesics; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; C079282:melanotan-II; D000069583:Pregabalin; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D000521:alpha-MSH; D002351:Carrageenan; D015054:Zymosan; D001058:Apomorphine
motivation; paced mating; pain; sex difference; sexual behavior