SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Sexual Behavior”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources

PubMed1998

Chronic stress effects on sexual behavior in male and female rats: mediation by 5-HT2A receptors.

The effects of chronic psychosocial stress on sexual behavior and on the serotonergic type 2A (5-HT2A) receptor-mediated behavior "wet dog shakes" (WDS) were investigated in male and female rats. In Experiment 1, both bilaterally adrenalectomized and sham-adrenalectomized female rats were assigned to either a psychosocial stress condition or a control condition for 62 days. On the 63rd day, estrogen-primed females were compared on measures of sexual behavior and WDS. Immediately after the behavioral tests, the same rats were primed with a subthreshold level of progesterone. Three hours after the administration of progesterone, rats were again scored for sexual behavior and WDS. Psychosocial stress was found to facilitate sexual behavior and increase WDS in sham-adrenalectomized female rats providing they were primed with both estrogen and progesterone. In Experiment 2, intact male rats were assigned to either the psychosocial stress condition or the control condition for 30 days. On the 31st day, males were compared on measures of sexual behavior and WDS. No significant differences were revealed on the spontaneous expression of sexual behavior and WDS. Subsequently, males were retested following the administration of the 5-HT2A agonist, DOI. Psychosocial stress resulted in a significant decrease in male sexual behavior and a concurrent increase in WDS, following the administration of DOI. Taken together, these results suggest that chronic psychosocial stress facilitates female sexual behavior and inhibits male sexual behavior, and that the effects of stress on sexual behavior may be mediated by 5-HT2A receptor activity.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1999

[The effect of hysterectomy on sexual behavior in women].

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect of total hysterectomy on sexual behavior in women and to improve the quality of life in posthysterectomic women. METHODS: We observed 107 of patients who had received surgery for more than six months. They were divided into 3 groups: 1st group (19 pationts), hysterectomy; 2nd group (18), unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and hysterectomy; and 3rd group (70), bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and hysterectomy. The patients were also divided into groups(< 45 years, 45-50 years, > 50 years) according to age. The difference of sexual behavior before and after hysterectomy was compared and the effect of FSH, E2, T on sexual behavior was also analysed. RESULTS: Sexual function after hysterectomy was normal in 43.9%, sexual disturbance 26.2%, fear or misunderstanding 17.8%, and no partner or ill partner 12.2%. Sexual function and sexual desire in the < 45 years group was significantly different from other groups (chi 2 = 11.2633, P = 0.0036). The effect of E2 on sexual function and desire was significant (t = 2.18, P = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Total hysterectomy affects sexual behavior. It is highly important to advise patients to get rid of psychosomatic disturbances before and after hysterectomy. Since overian function is very important for maintenance of normal sexual function, it is not advisable to do preventive overiotomy. The estrogen level has a great influence on the sexual behavior of women who had hysterectomy, but the role of androgen in women's sexual behavior needs to be studied.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Control of male sexual behavior in Drosophila by the sex determination pathway.

Understanding how genes influence behavior, including sexuality, is one of biology's greatest challenges. Much of the recent progress in understanding how single genes can influence behavior has come from the study of innate behaviors in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. In particular, the elaborate courtship ritual performed by the male fly has provided remarkable insights into how the neural circuitry underlying sexual behavior--which is largely innate in flies--is built into the nervous system during development, and how this circuitry functions in the adult. In this review we will discuss how genes of the sex determination pathway in Drosophila orchestrate the developmental events necessary for sex-specific behaviors and physiology, and the broader lessons this can teach us about the mechanisms underlying the development of sex-specific neural circuitry.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Sexual behavior reduces hypothalamic androgen receptor immunoreactivity.

Male sexual behavior is regulated by limbic areas like the medial preoptic nucleus (MPN), the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST), the nucleus accumbens (nAcc) and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMN). Neurons in these brain areas are rich in androgen receptors (AR) and express FOS-immunoreactivity in response to mating. In many species sexual satiation, a state of sexual behavior inhibition, is attained after multiple ejaculations. The mechanisms underlying sexual satiation are largely unknown. In this study we show that sexual activity reduces androgen receptor immunoreactivity (AR-ir) in some of the brain areas associated with the control of male sexual behavior, but not in others. Thus, one ejaculation reduced the AR-ir in the MPN and nAcc, but not in the BST and VMN. Copulation to satiation, on the other hand, reduced AR-ir in the MPN, nAcc and VMN, and not in the BST. The AR-ir reduction observed in the MPN of sexually satiated rats was drastic when compared to that of animals ejaculating once. Serum androgen levels did not vary after one ejaculation or copulation to exhaustion. These data reveal that sexual activity reduces AR in specific brain areas and suggest the possibility that such a reduction underlies the sexual inhibition that characterizes sexual satiety.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed1994

Effect of a null mutation of the c-fos proto-oncogene on sexual behavior of male mice.

Sexual behavior was observed in male mice that were homozygous for a null mutation of the c-fos proto-oncogene, as well as in heterozygous mutants and wild-type controls. The onset of mounting was slower and the subsequent mounting rate was significantly lower in homozygous mutants than in either group of controls. Even so, a similar percentage of males of each genotype achieved ejaculation, and ejaculation latencies were equivalent in these mice. Likewise, in males that intromitted, the intromission efficiency and the number of intravaginal thrusts/intromission were similar among the three genotypes. The nuclear protein product (Fos) of c-fos was visualized immunocytochemically in the brains of heterozygous male mice 1 h after they exhibited a series of mounts, with or without intromission, leading to an ejaculation. As in the male of several other rodent species, nuclear Fos immunoreactivity was augmented in neurons of limbic and midbrain regions thought to convey olfactory/vomeronasal and genital/somatosensory information, respectively, to the medial preoptic area following contact with an estrous female. One interpretation of our behavioral results is that in the absence of normal neuronal c-fos expression, sensory stimuli that impinge on the male brain during mating lose their ability to initiate a cascade of further gene transcription events that otherwise control the rate at which a male reorients towards and mounts an estrous female during an ejaculatory series. Alternatively, the c-fos null mutation may disrupt normal neural development, leading to a structural change that mediates the observed deficit in mounting capacity.

Amygdala↗

PubMed1997

Effects of dopamine agonists on appetitive and consummatory male sexual behavior in Japanese quail.

The effects of pharmacological manipulations of dopaminergic transmission on appetitive and consummatory aspects of male sexual behavior were investigated in castrated male Japanese quail treated with exogenous testosterone. Appetitive male sexual behavior was assessed by measuring a learned social proximity response and consummatory behavior was assessed by measuring copulatory behavior per se. The nonselective dopamine receptor agonist, apomorphine, inhibited in a dose-dependent manner both components of male sexual behavior. Two indirect dopamine agonists were also tested. Nomifensine, a dopamine re-uptake inhibitor, decreased appetitive sexual behavior but increased the frequency of mount attempts, a measure of consummatory sexual behavior. Amfonelic acid, a compound that enhances dopaminergic tone by a complex mechanism, increased aspects of both appetitive and consummatory behaviors. These data suggest that, in quail, as in rodents, increases in dopaminergic tone facilitate both appetitive and consummatory aspects of male sexual behavior. Apomorphine may be inhibitory in quail because it acts primarily on D2-like receptors, unlike in rats, where it stimulates sexual behavior and acts primarily on D1-like receptors at low doses but interacts with D2-like receptors at higher doses. This is supported by the observation that stereotyped pecking, a behavior stimulated selectively in quail by D2 agonists, was increased by apomorphine but not by the two indirect agonists. The observed partial dissociation between the effects of these dopaminergic agonists on appetitive and consummatory sexual behaviors suggests that these two components of male sexual behavior may be controlled by the action of dopamine through different neuronal systems.

Animals↗

PubMed1997

Adolescent boys in Gujarat, India: their sexual behavior and their knowledge of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and other sexually transmitted diseases.

We assessed the sexual behavior patterns of 368 unmarried, sexually active adolescent boys (294 rural, 74 urban) and their knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and correct use of condoms. The mean knowledge score for STDs was low and significantly associated with educational level (p < .0001). The mean awareness score for correct use of condoms was 0.42 on a scale of 10 and significantly associated with employment status and age at first coitus (p < .001). There was a negative correlation (-0.17) between literacy and knowledge of correct use of condoms. Selection of the first sexual partner, usually a prostitute, was influenced by employment status, age at first coitus, and literacy level. These data suggest that sexually active adolescent boys in Gujarat, India are inadequately prepared to protect themselves against STDs and, therefore, that it is imperative to impart to them some knowledge of safe sex.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed2005

Polymerase chain reaction detection of Y chromosome sequences in vaginal fluid: preliminary studies of a potential biomarker for sexual behavior.

BACKGROUND: Self-reported measures of sexual behavior are subject to nontrivial reporting biases. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop a behavioral biomarker of recent sexual activity among females that is inexpensive, easily administered, and can be used in low sexually transmitted disease prevalence populations. METHODS: We developed a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to detect Y chromosome (Yc) fragments. The Yc primers were developed against a 200-basepair (bp) microsatellite repeat sequence, which is unique to the male genome. A standard PCR technique was used. Assay sensitivity was determined quantitatively using donated semen samples. To assess longevity of detectability, we recruited female subjects in monogamous relationships. Seventeen subjects had unprotected intercourse followed by 3 weeks of abstinence from vaginal intercourse. Self-administered vaginal swabs (SAVS) were collected every other day. In addition to the swabs, subjects kept daily sexual diaries. Swabs were processed by semiquantitative PCR, and Yc decay curves were determined for each subject. The half-life of Yc in vaginal fluid was calculated on the collection of individual decay curves by a random-effects regression model approach. RESULTS: The sensitivity of our Yc-PCR assay was determined to be 5 copies of Yc. In the longevity studies, Yc was detectable in SAVS up to 15 postcoital days (PCD). Mean Yc DNA concentration in SAVS eluate followed an exponential decay pattern for each subject. Mean concentrations were 66.7 ng/mL at PCD-1, 20.6 ng/mL at PCD-7, and 4.5 ng/mL at PCD-15. The estimated half-life for Yc clearance was 3.83 days. CONCLUSION: The swab-based Yc-DNA PCR assay can detect coitus in women for a 2-week retrospective period. This can be used to validate sexual behavior-reporting and condom use in women and promises to be a useful tool in sexual behavior research.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Sexual behavior problems in dogs and cats.

Sexual behavior problems do occur as a primary diagnosis, but excessive sexual behavior is a common secondary problem. Mounting occurs in almost half of dogs with behavior problems and 20% of cats with behavior problems.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Predictors of changes in sexual behavior among women on methadone.

This study identified predictors of reported sexual risk reduction among 109 female injection drug users enrolled in methadone clinics. Univariate analyses were used to examine the individual effects of each variable on the outcome of sexual behavior change over the past 6 months. Multiple logistic regression was then used to identify which of these variables were independently associated with such a change. Women with more than one sexual partner were more likely than women with one or no sexual partner to report changing their sexual behavior. African-American women were less likely than White Anglo or Latina women to report changing their sexual behavior. Women who held stronger beliefs that luck plays the largest role in getting AIDS were less likely to report changing their sexual behavior. Change in sexual behavior was associated with feeling comfortable asking partners to use condoms, higher depression scores, and loss of friends or family to AIDS. The observed relationship between personal susceptibility and depression suggests that risk reduction interventions should also address the depressive symptomatology associated with feelings of vulnerability.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1995

Is there a relationship between "heavy drinking" and HIV high risk sexual behaviors among general population subjects?

The authors investigated the association between "heavy drinking" and sexual behaviors among 2,581 general population subjects from the St. Louis Epidemiologic Catchment Area survey conducted from 1981 to 1983. Lifetime sexual behaviors included promiscuity, infidelity, receiving money for sex, and same gender sex. It was found that sexual behaviors were associated with lifetime heavy drinking. Regardless of gender, race, or age, "heavy drinkers" were significantly more likely to report each of the high risk sexual behaviors, except same gender sex, compared to "nonheavy drinkers." With the multiple logistic regression analyses it was found that "heavy drinking" non-Black females, Black males regardless of drinking history, "heavy drinking" males, and younger subjects regardless of drinking history were at higher risk to report the high risk sexual behaviors. This study confirms that there is a strong association between "heavy drinking" and high risk sexual behaviors in a midwestern population. This is the first study to find an association between alcohol drinking patterns and high risk sexual behaviors in the general population. Implications of these findings for public health education efforts are discussed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

Role of septum and preoptic area in regulating masculine and feminine sexual behavior in male rats.

The effects of septal or preoptic lesions on both masculine and feminine sexual behaviors were examined in castrated adult male rats. Three weeks after brain surgery, animals were implanted with Silastic tubes containing testosterone (T) and observations of masculine sexual behavior were carried out four times every 5 days. T tubes were removed immediately after the end of the masculine behavioral tests. Two weeks later, animals implanted with Silastic tubes containing estradiol-17 beta(E2) were subjected to three feminine sexual behavioral tests at 5-day intervals. The bilateral lateral septal lesion (LSL) and the medial preoptic lesion (MPOL) effectively suppressed the performance of mounts, intromissions, and ejaculations, whereas the medial septal lesion (MSL), the dorsolateral preoptic lesion (DPOL), and the sham operation did not show any significant suppression of these behaviors. In the feminine sexual behavioral tests, intact and sham-operated control males showed only a low lordotic activity. However, the performance of the lordosis reflex was markedly facilitated by LSL or DPOL, while the lordotic activity of MSL and MPOL males was not significantly different from that of control males. These results suggest that the lateral septum exerts not only a facilitatory influence on masculine sexual behavior but also an inhibitory influence on feminine sexual behavior in male rats. On the other hand, the medial preoptic area may play a critical role in regulating masculine sexual behavior in male rats.

Animals↗

PubMed1985

Effects of chronically elevated intake of sweet solutions on sexual behavior of male rats.

Three experiments were conducted on the sexual behavior of gonadally intact and castrated male Sabra rats. Half of the animals drank water during the course of the experiment and half were offered sweet solutions, the assumption being that sweet gustatory stimulation elevates the level of central endogenous opioid peptides in rats. The effects on sexual behavior of the following drugs were explored: the opiate receptor blocker naloxone (5 mg/kg, sc), the serotonin precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) (20 mg/kg, sc), the serotonin antagonist methysergide (1 mg/kg, sc), and naloxone in combination with methysergide. Naloxone, whether administered alone or in combination with methysergide, impaired sexual performance in castrated male rats, and in gonadally intact rats maintained on sweet solutions. Methysergide elevated sexual behavior in all groups, whereas 5-HTP tended to suppress such behavior. The results support the hypothesis that endogenous opiates play a role in the expression of male sexual behavior in rats. While subtle in intact animals this role may become crucial following the disruption of sex hormone supply. Serotonergic influence on male sexual behavior is inhibitory.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Influence of mirtazapine on the sexual behavior of male rats.

RATIONALE: Impairment of sexual activity is one of the most frequent side effects of antidepressant drugs. The increase in the synaptic concentrations of serotonin seems to be mainly responsible. Mirtazapine is a novel antidepressant that increases the synaptic concentrations of both noradrenaline and serotonin; moreover, it is an antagonist at 5-HT(2C) receptors, whose activation is considered to be responsible for some typical effects of serotonin on the ejaculation process (retardation of ejaculation, anorgasmia). OBJECTIVES: To study the influence of mirtazapine on copulatory performance and sexual motivation in male rats, in comparison-or in combination-with fluoxetine. METHODS: Copulatory performance was studied either in sexually experienced or in sexually naive rats; sexual motivation was studied in sexually experienced rats. Mirtazapine (1, 5 or 10 mg/kg), fluoxetine (10 mg/kg), and the combination of mirtazapine + fluoxetine (10+10 mg/kg) were subcutaneously (s.c.) administered either acutely or daily for 13 days. RESULTS: After acute administration, mirtazapine decreased mount latency (ML) and intromission latency (IL), and increased mount frequency (MF) and ejaculation latency (EL). Fluoxetine had no significant effect on any of the sexual behavior parameters. After a 13-day treatment, mirtazapine increased ML, IL and MF; fluoxetine increased ML, IL and the intercopulatory interval (ICI); the addition of mirtazapine to fluoxetine produced a reduction of ICI and an increase of MF. Moreover, mirtazapine significantly improved the performance of rats in the sexual motivation test. CONCLUSIONS: The present results show that, on the whole, the acute administration of mirtazapine improves several parameters of the copulatory performance of male rats and strongly stimulates sexual motivation, while the repeated administration produces minor, conflicting effects. This effect of mirtazapine on male rat sexual behavior is to be ascribed to the antagonism at brain alpha(2) adrenergic auto- and hetero-receptors, with consequent increased release of noradrenaline and serotonin, and antagonism at 5-HT(2C) receptors, which are involved in the negative influence of serotonin on male sexual behavior.

Animals↗

PubMed1982

Sexual behavior during pregnancy.

This descriptive study of sexual behavior and response in 1500 obstetric patients registering for prenatal care demonstrates complex interactions of various sociodemographic factors. Variables most predictive of coital frequency during pregnancy include marital status, gestational age, parity, and race, as well as some unique combinations of statistics. Orgasmic response increases with patient age but lack of understanding of the terminology makes further interpretation unreliable. Dyspareunia is experienced infrequently during pregnancy. When it occurs, it decreases coital frequency in single women more than in married women. Studies examining differences or changes in sexual behavior during pregnancy versus fetal outcome must take into account that factors known to affect fetal outcome are also associated with changes in sexual behavior.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Dopamine, the medial preoptic area, and male sexual behavior.

The medial preoptic area (MPOA), at the rostral end of the hypothalamus, is important for the regulation of male sexual behavior. Results showing that male sexual behavior is impaired following MPOA lesions and enhanced with MPOA stimulation support this conclusion. The neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) facilitates male sexual behavior in all studied species, including rodents and humans. Here, we review data indicating that the MPOA is one site where DA may act to regulate male sexual behavior. DA agonists microinjected into the MPOA facilitate sexual behavior, whereas DA antagonists impair copulation, genital reflexes, and sexual motivation. Moreover, microdialysis experiments showed increased release of DA in the MPOA as a result of precopulatory exposure to an estrous female and during copulation. DA may remove tonic inhibition in the MPOA, thereby enhancing sensorimotor integration, and also coordinate autonomic influences on genital reflexes. In addition to sensory stimulation, other factors influence the release of DA in the MPOA, including testosterone, nitric oxide, and glutamate. Here we summarize and interpret these data.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Effects of specially tailored information on Swedish university students' sexual behavior.

In independent surveys concerning sexual behavior among university students in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1989 and 1990, we found that condoms were infrequently used and that up to 25% of the sexually experienced students had a history of having had at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD). We targeted an information campaign toward the same students (approximately 20,000) in 1990. Our aims were (1) to increase the knowledge of STDs and alert the students to the high frequency of STDs in the student population, (2) to encourage students to have an STD checkup at the local STD clinic, and (3) to induce a positive attitude toward condoms. We evaluated the effects of the campaign, using before and after classroom surveys, a separate survey of students who attended the STD clinic, and a focus group analysis. Although the information campaign was successful, in that students became more aware of STDs and showed increased knowledge about the high frequency of STDs in their own population, fewer than 1% of the target population went for an STD checkup at the local STD clinic. Overall, the campaign was well received by the students but failed to induce any measurable changes in attitudes during the short observation period.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Evidence that the M1 muscarinic receptor subtype mediates the effects of oxotremorine on masculine sexual behavior.

The cholinergic system participates in the regulation of masculine sexual behavior, mainly through the muscarinic system. Recently, muscarinic receptors have been subdivided into at least two subtypes, M1 and M2, according to their differential affinity for pirenzepine. In this study, we analyzed the possible participation of the M1 muscarinic receptor subtype on masculine sexual behavior regulation. In the first experiment, trihexyphenidyl, a specific M1 antagonist, was administered to experienced adult male rats in a wide range of doses (from 0.1 to 6.4 mg/kg). No modification was observed in any of the male sexual behavior parameters recorded, with the exception of the highest dose at which an increase of the intromission frequency and a decrease of the ejaculation frequency were observed. In the second experiment, trihexyphenidyl was administered in several doses (from 0.2 to 1.6 mg/kg), before the administration of oxotremorine, a muscarinic agonist, at a dose that readily facilitates masculine sexual behavior. Trihexyphenidyl completely prevented the facilitatory effects of oxotremorine even at the smallest dose used. These results strongly suggest that the M1 muscarinic receptor subtype participates in the cholinergic facilitation of masculine sexual behavior.

Animals↗