p-Chlorophenylalanine alters pacing of copulation in female rats

When tested in apparatus that allowed them to determine their contacts with conspecifics, including sexually active male rats, estrogen- and progesterone-treated female rats systemically treated with para-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), a tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor, showed reduced frequency of coital contacts and reduced duration of interactions with sexually active males. PCPA administration did not alter contacts with noncopulating males or other females nor did treated females differ from controls in ability to display lordosis or posing, both stereotyped behaviors characteristic of female rats in behavioral estrus. It is suggested that the alteration of temporal pacing of copulation in the PCPA-treated females is a result of drug-induced changes in the processing of exteroceptive stimuli.