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Haloperidol challenge during copulation prevents subsequent increase in male sexual motivation.

H H López1, A Ettenberg

  • 1Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of California at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93109, USA.

Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
|December 22, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Dopamine receptor blockade with haloperidol reduced male rats' sexual motivation after mating. This suggests dopamine is crucial for the rewarding effects of sexual behavior.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Behavioral Endocrinology
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • Sexual experience typically increases sexual motivation in male rats.
  • Dopamine neurotransmission is implicated in reward and motivation.
  • The role of dopamine in the motivational changes following sexual behavior is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of dopamine in the increase of sexual motivation after sexual experience.
  • To assess if blocking dopamine receptors during sexual activity affects subsequent sexual motivation.

Main Methods:

  • Male Long-Evans rats were trained to run in an operant runway towards female targets.
  • Rats received sexual experience after pretreatment with vehicle or varying doses of haloperidol (a dopamine receptor antagonist).

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  • Subsequent motivation to approach female targets was measured by runway run times and retreat behaviors.

    • Main Results:

    • Vehicle-treated rats showed increased sexual motivation post-experience, as expected.
    • Haloperidol treatment dose-dependently attenuated the increase in sexual motivation.
    • High-dose haloperidol led to increased run times and retreat behaviors, suggesting aversion.

    Conclusions:

    • Dopamine systems are critical for the rewarding and reinforcing effects of male sexual behavior.
    • Blocking dopamine receptors during sexual activity can disrupt the positive motivational consequences of mating.
    • Dopamine antagonism may lead to the association of sexual cues with aversive experiences.