Peripheral anosmia and display of lordosis behaviour in the male rat

The current study was designed to investigate the effects of peripheral anosmia on the display of lordosis behaviour in orchidectomized rats primed with oestradiol benzoate and progesterone. Peripheral anosmia was induced by intranasal Zn SO4 application in rats trained to locate a food pellet buried under shavings. The willingness to mate - proportion of animals displaying lordosis responses to mounts of a stimulus male - did not differ in the anosmic animals and in saline controls. In contrast the sexual performance - lordosis score - appeared to be significantly increased in anosmic animals. The sexual performance was thus concluded to be modulated by the main olfactory system.