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Ågmo A, Laan E. Sexual incentive motivation, sexual behavior, and general arousal: Do rats and humans tell the same story? Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104595. [PMID: 35231490 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Sexual incentive stimuli activate sexual motivation and heighten the level of general arousal. The sexual motive may induce the individual to approach the incentive, and eventually to initiate sexual acts. Both approach and the ensuing copulatory interaction further enhance general arousal. We present data from rodents and humans in support of these assertions. We then suggest that orgasm is experienced when the combined level of excitation surpasses a threshold. In order to analyze the neurobiological bases of sexual motivation, we employ the concept of a central motive state. We then discuss the mechanisms involved in the long- and short-term control of that state as well as those mediating the momentaneous actions of sexual incentive stimuli. This leads to an analysis of the neurobiology behind the interindividual differences in responsivity of the sexual central motive state. Knowledge is still fragmentary, and many contradictory observations have been made. Nevertheless, we conclude that the basic mechanisms of sexual motivation and the role of general arousal are similar in rodents and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Ågmo
- Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Ellen Laan
- Department of Sexology and Psychosomatic Gynaecology, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Rahman N, Bubnys A, Kandel H, Moene OL, Vaughan R, Kow LM, Tabansky I, Pfaff D. Equation representing the dark-entrained transition from inaction to action in male and female mice. Behav Brain Res 2020; 392:112673. [PMID: 32479846 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The activation of behaviour in a daily rhythm governed by the light cycle is a universal phenomenon among humans, laboratory mammals and other vertebrates. For mice, the active period is during the dark. We have quantified the increase in activity when the lights shut off (Light to Dark, L to D) using a generalized CNS arousal assay with 20 ms resolution, rather than traditional running wheels. Data analysis yielded the rare demonstration of an equation which precisely tracks this behavioural transition and, surprisingly, its reverse during D to L. This behavioural dynamic survives in constant darkness (experiment 2) and is hormone-sensitive (experiment 3). Finally (experiment 4), mice on a light schedule analogous to one which proved troublesome for U.S. Navy sailors, had dysregulated activity bursts which did not conform to the transitions between D and L. These experiments show the lawfulness of a behavioural phase transition and the consequence of deviating from that dynamic pattern. And, in a new way, they bring mathematics to the realm of behavioural neuroscience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadera Rahman
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, United States
| | - Adele Bubnys
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, United States
| | - Hagar Kandel
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, United States
| | | | - Roger Vaughan
- Dept. of Biostatistics, Rockefeller University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Lee-Ming Kow
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, United States
| | - Inna Tabansky
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, United States
| | - Donald Pfaff
- Laboratory of Neurobiology and Behavior, United States.
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Rudzinskas SA, Williams KM, Mong JA, Holder MK. Sex, Drugs, and the Medial Amygdala: A Model of Enhanced Sexual Motivation in the Female Rat. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:203. [PMID: 31551730 PMCID: PMC6746834 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Methamphetamine (METH) is a psychomotor stimulant that is reported to enhance sexual desire and behavior in both men and women, leading to increases in unplanned pregnancies, sexually-transmitted infections, and even comorbid psychiatric conditions. Here, we discuss our rodent model of increased sexually-motivated behaviors in which the co-administration of METH and the ovarian hormones, estradiol and progesterone, intensify the incentive properties of a sexual stimulus and increases measures of sexually-motivated behavior in the presence of an androgen-specific cue. We then present the neurobiological mechanisms by which this heightened motivational salience is mediated by the actions of METH and ovarian hormones, particularly progestins, in the posterodorsal medial nucleus of the amygdala (MePD), a key integration site for sexually-relevant sensory information with generalized arousal. We finally demonstrate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this facilitation of sexual motivation by METH, including the upregulation, increased phosphorylation, and activation of progestin receptors (PRs) in the MePD by METH in the presence of ovarian hormones. Taken together, this work extends our understanding of the neurobiology of female sexual motivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Rudzinskas
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Katrina M Williams
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Jessica A Mong
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Mary K Holder
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Sheppard PAS, Choleris E, Galea LAM. Structural plasticity of the hippocampus in response to estrogens in female rodents. Mol Brain 2019; 12:22. [PMID: 30885239 PMCID: PMC6423800 DOI: 10.1186/s13041-019-0442-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well established that estrogens affect neuroplasticity in a number of brain regions. In particular, estrogens modulate and mediate spine and synapse formation as well as neurogenesis in the hippocampal formation. In this review, we discuss current research exploring the effects of estrogens on dendritic spine plasticity and neurogenesis with a focus on the modulating factors of sex, age, and pregnancy. Hormone levels, including those of estrogens, fluctuate widely across the lifespan from early life to puberty, through adulthood and into old age, as well as with pregnancy and parturition. Dendritic spine formation and modulation are altered both by rapid (likely non-genomic) and classical (genomic) actions of estrogens and have been suggested to play a role in the effects of estrogens on learning and memory. Neurogenesis in the hippocampus is influenced by age, the estrous cycle, pregnancy, and parity in female rodents. Furthermore, sex differences exist in hippocampal cellular and molecular responses to estrogens and are briefly discussed throughout. Understanding how structural plasticity in the hippocampus is affected by estrogens and how these effects can influence function and be influenced by other factors, such as experience and sex, is critical and can inform future treatments in conditions involving the hippocampus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A. S. Sheppard
- Department of Psychology, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada
| | - Elena Choleris
- Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Canada
| | - Liisa A. M. Galea
- Department of Psychology, Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3 Canada
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Abstract
Purpose Although research into the neurobiology of sexual desire in women is active, relatively little is understood about the origins of sexual motivation in women. The purpose of our review is to discuss factors that influence a central sexual motivate state and generalized arousal as potential drivers of sexual motivation in women and female rats. Recent Findings Sexual motivation is the product of interactions of the central motive state and salient sexually-relevant cues. Ovarian hormones and generalized arousal influence the central motive state, and endogenous levels of estradiol and progesterone correlate with sexual motivation and behavior in women. The amygdala is a key integratory site for generalized arousal and sexual sensory stimulation, which could then increase sexual motivation through its downstream projections. Summary Our model of enhanced female sexual motivation suggests that the combined effects of dopamine and progesterone receptor activation in the medial amygdala increases the incentive properties of a sexual stimulus. Further study into the interactions of ovarian hormones and mediators of generalized arousal on the processing of sexually-relevant cues informs our understanding of the neurobiology of female sexual motivation and could lead to the development of therapeutics to treat the dysfunctions of sexual desire in women.
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Carrier J, Semba K, Deurveilher S, Drogos L, Cyr-Cronier J, Lord C, Sekerovick Z. Sex differences in age-related changes in the sleep-wake cycle. Front Neuroendocrinol 2017; 47:66-85. [PMID: 28757114 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2017.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2017] [Revised: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 07/19/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Age-related changes in sleep and circadian regulation occur as early as the middle years of life. Research also suggests that sleep and circadian rhythms are regulated differently between women and men. However, does sleep and circadian rhythms regulation age similarly in men and women? In this review, we present the mechanisms underlying age-related differences in sleep and the current state of knowledge on how they interact with sex. We also address how testosterone, estrogens, and progesterone fluctuations across adulthood interact with sleep and circadian regulation. Finally, we will propose research avenues to unravel the mechanisms underlying sex differences in age-related effects on sleep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Carrier
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada; Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
| | - Kazue Semba
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Samuel Deurveilher
- Department of Medical Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Lauren Drogos
- Departments of Physiology & Pharmacology and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jessica Cyr-Cronier
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Catherine Lord
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Zoran Sekerovick
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, Hôpital du Sacré-Cœur de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada
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Gelineau RR, Arruda NL, Hicks JA, Monteiro De Pina I, Hatzidis A, Seggio JA. The behavioral and physiological effects of high-fat diet and alcohol consumption: Sex differences in C57BL6/J mice. Brain Behav 2017; 7:e00708. [PMID: 28638713 PMCID: PMC5474711 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Animal studies can be a great tool to investigate sex differences in a variety of different ways, including behavioral and physiological responses to drug treatments and different "lifestyle variables" such as diets. Consumption of both high-fat diets and alcohol is known to affect anxiety behaviors and overall health. This project investigated how high-fat diet and alcohol access and its combination affected the behavior and physiology of male and female C57BL/6J mice. METHOD Mice were separated into three food groups: high-fat diet, 10% fat diet, and regular chow, and each group was paired with either water or 10% alcohol. Behavioral assays included diet and alcohol preference, light-dark box, open field, and feeding and drinking measurements. Physiological measures included glucose tolerance tests and measurement of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, insulin, and leptin levels. RESULTS Females and males differed in the open field, as male mice decreased activity, while females increased activity when consuming high-fat diet. While females consumed more ethanol than males, alcohol consumption was able to improve glucose tolerance and increase anxiety in both sexes. Lastly, females were more resistant to the physiological changes caused by high-fat diet than males, as females consuming high-fat diet exhibited decreased insulin secretion, less change to brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels, and better glucose tolerance than males consuming high-fat diet. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the response to high-fat diet and alcohol consumption is sex dependent and that males are more affected both behaviorally and physiologically by high-fat diet compared to females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel R Gelineau
- Department of Biological Sciences Bridgewater State University Bridgewater MA USA
| | - Nicole L Arruda
- Department of Biological Sciences Bridgewater State University Bridgewater MA USA
| | - Jasmin A Hicks
- Department of Biological Sciences Bridgewater State University Bridgewater MA USA
| | | | - Aikaterini Hatzidis
- Department of Biological Sciences Bridgewater State University Bridgewater MA USA
| | - Joseph A Seggio
- Department of Biological Sciences Bridgewater State University Bridgewater MA USA
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Rudzinskas SA, Mong JA. Androgen-primed castrate males are sufficient for methamphetamine-facilitated increases in proceptive behavior in female rats. Horm Behav 2016; 78:52-9. [PMID: 26497407 PMCID: PMC4718754 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2015.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2015] [Revised: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Methamphetamine (MA) is a psychomotor stimulant associated with increases in sex drive in both men and women. Women, however, are far more likely to face social disadvantages as a consequence of MA use, and their increased sexual motivation poses additional health concerns such as unplanned pregnancies. To better understand the mechanisms underlying MA-facilitated sexual motivation in females, we previously established a rodent model where a "binge"-type administration paradigm of MA to sexually receptive female rats significantly increases proceptive behavior in the presence of a sexually active, gonadally-intact male. Our previous work with this model has led us to consider whether the increases in proceptive behavior are truly indicative of increased sexual motivation, or instead a consequence of heightened motor responsivity. Here, we test whether MA-induced increases in proceptive behaviors are specific to a sexually relevant stimulus. Females' sexual, social, exploratory behaviors, and interaction times were scored during the exposure to stimulus males, including castrates, and dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-treated castrates. MA-treated females demonstrated significant increases in proceptive behaviors toward DHT-treated castrate males but not toward castrate males. While the non-MA-treated females did display proceptive behavior, there was no significant difference between behaviors elicited by DHT-CX males compared to CX males. Our results support the hypothesis that MA facilitates proceptive behavior only in response to specific, androgen mediated sexually-relevant cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Rudzinskas
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Jessica A Mong
- Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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