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The ejaculatory reflex in copulating rats: normal bulbospongiosus activity without apparent urethral stimulation.
1Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs 06269-1020.
Neuroscience Letters
|April 29, 1991
Summary
Urethral stimulation does not significantly impact the ejaculatory reflex in male rats. Bulbospongiosus muscle contractions, crucial for ejaculation, occurred regardless of urethral anesthesia or emission prevention.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Reproductive Biology
- Physiology
Background:
- The ejaculatory reflex is a complex process involving both central and peripheral mechanisms.
- The role of urethral stimulation in regulating the muscular components of ejaculation remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the contribution of urethral stimulation to the ejaculatory reflex in male rats.
- To determine if urethral stimulation influences bulbospongiosus muscle activity during ejaculation.
Main Methods:
- Electromyographic activity of bulbospongiosus muscles was recorded in intact, copulating male rats.
- Urethral stimulation was manipulated using lidocaine anesthesia and guanethidine to prevent emission.
Main Results:
- Rhythmic contractions of the bulbospongiosus muscle during the ejaculatory pattern were not affected by urethral anesthetization.
- Prevention of emission did not alter the observed muscular activity during ejaculation.
Conclusions:
- Urethral stimulation by ejaculate does not appear to regulate the striated-muscle components of ejaculation-related reflexes.
- The findings suggest that other neural pathways primarily control the muscular events of ejaculation in male rats.