[Detection methods and evaluation indexes of sexual motivation in male rats: An update]

Sexual motivation refers to the intensity of willingness to have sex with or near a potential partner and is important for sexual health. At present, low sexual desire has become an increasingly prominent social problem, and there are no unified standards for its detection and evaluation. In this paper, we systematically sorted out the commonly used methods for detecting sexual motivation in male rats, including the three major categories of male-female mating, competitive selection and task acquisition, and discussed the relevant evaluation indexes and the advantages and disadvantages of various methods. We also explored the nature of sexual motivation, elaborated sexual contact behavior as a direct manifestation of sexual motivation, and proposed focusing relevant studies on contact behaviors and differentiating sexual proximity from social proximity.