title: Paced mating behavior is affected by clitoral-vaginocervical lidocaine application in combination with sexual experience.
abstract: The present study tested the effects of lidocaine anesthetic ointment applied to the vaginocervical (Experiment 1) or clitoral-vaginocervical (Experiment 2) areas on the display of paced mating behavior over the course of five weekly tests in ovariectomized, hormone-primed, Long-Evans rats. Experiment 3 tested whether rats that acquired sexual experience without ointment application would exhibit altered paced mating behavior on a fifth test under clitoral-vaginocervical lidocaine or vehicle application. Although rats in Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 exhibited shorter contact-return latencies after intromission and reduced likelihood of leaving the male compartment following mounts and intromissions after gaining sexual experience, only rats that received clitoral-vaginocervical lidocaine exhibited altered paced mating behavior relative to vehicle. Specifically, clitoral-vaginocervical lidocaine resulted in shorter contact-return latency to ejaculation and greater percentage of time with the male. Paced mating behavior of sexually experienced rats in Experiment 3 was not disrupted when tested after clitoral-vaginocervical lidocaine treatment. Together, these studies suggest that the sensory input during repeated mating encounters affects the pattern of paced mating behavior that develops with sexual experience.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, One N College St, Carleton College, Northfield, MN 55057, United States. Electronic address: smeerts@carleton.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Meerts
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, One N College St, Carleton College, Northfield, MN 55057, United States.
authors.forename: Helen K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Strnad
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, One N College St, Carleton College, Northfield, MN 55057, United States.
authors.forename: Rosemary S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Schairer
mesh_terms: D000779:Anesthetics, Local / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002987:Clitoris / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000294:innervation; D005260:Female; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D014621:Vagina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000294:innervation
chemical_list: D000779:Anesthetics, Local; D008012:Lidocaine
keywords: Anesthesia; Clitoris; Lidocaine; Paced mating behavior; Sexual experience; Vaginocervical