Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026
Electroconvulsive Seizures in Rats and Fractionation of Their Hippocampi to Examine Seizure-induced Changes in Postsynaptic Density Proteins
Published on: August 15, 2017
Impairment of sexual function in rats with epilepsy
Monica L Andersen1, Tathiana A Alvarenga, Fulvio A Scorza
1Departamento de Psicobiologia Neurologia Experimental, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. ml.andersen12@gmail.com
Introduction:
Epilepsy is a chronic disease that affects men and women of all ages, with different levels of severity. Many individuals with epilepsy also suffer from impairments in sexual function. However, it is difficult to differentiate between the impact of the disease and the impact of antiepileptic drugs on sexual function in human subjects.
Aims:
To evaluate sexual behavior in adult male rats submitted to chronic pilocarpine-induced epilepsy.
Methods:
First, non-epileptic rats were exposed to nine training sessions to acquire sexual experience, and their baseline sexual performance was evaluated. Then, the same rats were given pilocarpine to induce status epilepticus followed by chronic epilepsy. Once the animals had developed spontaneous recurrent seizures, their sexual behavior was evaluated during three sessions.
Main Outcome Measures:
Examine changes in latencies to first mount, intromission, and ejaculation, and the total number of mounts, intromissions, and ejaculations.
Results:
All outcome measures related to sexual motivation and sexual performance were markedly impaired during chronic epilepsy compared with the baseline and the control group.
Conclusion:
These findings will aid in understanding the interaction between sexual behavior and epilepsy, as well as encouraging further experimental studies in human patients with epilepsy suffering from sexual dysfunction.
