Antinociceptive effects of vaginal stimulation in rats: neurophysiological and behavioral studies

The present studies extend previous findings that probing the vaginal cervix of rats blocks withdrawal reflexes and induces immobilization44. In the present studies, we report that this effect is apparently not due to an action on the final motor pathway, for limb or facial movement induced by electrical stimulation of the pyramidal tract was not suppressed by the probing. In contrast, the sensory response of neurons in the ventrobasal complex of the thalamus to noxious pinch stimulation was markedly attenuated by probing the vaginal cervix. However, the response of these neurons to gentle tactile stimulation was not attenuated, indicating a selective antinociceptive effect of the probing. The antinociceptive effect was not necessarily related to changes in arousal. These findings were supported by behavioral studies in which probing the vaginal cervix blocked vocalization in response to tail shock, and elevated the current threshold for eliciting vocalization in response to tail shock. Furthermore, during the probing, the rats were found to be capable of vocalizing in response to presumably non-noxious (lifting) stimulation, even though their vocalization response to noxious tail shock was suppresed. These studies suggest that probing the vaginal cervix rats exerts an analgesic action.