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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Dissection of Pelvic Autonomic Ganglia and Associated Nerves in Male and Female Rats
Published on: March 7, 2020
Sexually dimorphic gastrin releasing peptide system in the spinal cord controls male reproductive functions
Hirotaka Sakamoto1, Ken-Ichi Matsuda, Damian G Zuloaga
1Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kawaramachi-Hirokoji, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan. hsakamo@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp
Abstract:
Neurons in the upper lumbar spinal cord project axons containing gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) to innervate lower lumbar regions controlling erection and ejaculation. This system is vestigial in female rats and in males with genetic dysfunction of androgen receptors, but in male rats, pharmacological stimulation of spinal GRP receptors restores penile reflexes and ejaculation after castration. GRP offers new avenues for understanding potential therapeutic approaches to masculine reproductive dysfunction.
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