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PubMed1999

Cortisol facilitates induction of sexual behavior in the female musk shrew (Suncus murinus).

The role of cortisol in sexual behavior in the female musk shrew (Suncus murinus) was examined. High levels of cortisol were associated with sexual receptivity, as indicated by species-typical tail-wagging behavior, during brief (15-min) mating tests. When cortisol production was blocked by metyrapone, an 11-beta-hydroxylase inhibitor, females exhibited reduced sexual behavior relative to controls, an effect that was reversed with acute cortisol replacement. These results indicate that cortisol facilitates, rather than inhibits, sexual behavior in this species and expands the comparative understanding of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) effects on reproduction.

Adrenal Cortex↗

PubMed1987

Sexual behavior induces naloxone-reversible hypoalgesia in male rats.

The sensitivity to painful and sexual stimuli in male rats was markedly suppressed immediately after ejaculation and enhanced after the postejaculatory refractory period. The suppression of pain sensitivity induced by sexual activity was reversed, but sexual behavior was only slightly affected by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of the opioid antagonist naloxone (5 mg). Plasma concentrations of beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity were unaffected by sexual activity. Injection of beta-endorphin (10 micrograms s.c.) markedly raised plasma concentrations of beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity within 1 min of injection but did not affect the sensitivity to painful stimulation or the display of sexual behavior. It is suggested that while ejaculation may activate opioid receptor mechanisms, which affect the sensitivity to painful, but not sexual, stimuli, elevation of beta-endorphin in the blood does not affect the sensitivity to either sexual or painful stimuli in male rats.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Sexual behaviors and condom use: a study of suburban male adolescents.

Sexual behaviors and condom use were surveyed in a sample of 1,312 male adolescents (ages 12-19 years) in Laval, the second largest city in the province of Quebec. The data were obtained via a self-administered questionnaire to which 98.8% responded. The study showed that male adolescents became sexually active, on average, at 13.9 years, an age younger than previously reported. Further, 60% of the adolescent males used a condom at their first intercourse, a figure which doubled that previously reported; its use, however, decreased to one-third when utilization at each intercourse was examined. Overall, condom use was greatest in 14-year-olds and decreased in older adolescents, being replaced by the pill. The study further revealed that 12-13-year-olds were less likely to use condoms and more likely to use ineffective methods than were 14-year-olds. Although condoms seem to be gaining a following among male adolescents, their use is transitory and is being replaced by the pill and other methods with low protective value against sexually transmitted disease (STD) and AIDS. These results underline the necessity to reorient our educational and promotional activities in STD prevention to the realities of this group.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1986

Midbrain lesions, dopamine and male sexual behavior.

Destruction of the medial preoptic area (MPOA) eliminates mating in male rats and this region is believed to play a major role in the control of male sexual behavior. Efferents from the MPOA pass through and/or terminate in 4 midbrain regions: the dorsolateral tegmentum (DLT), the central gray, and the A9 and A10 areas. The present study reports the effects of bilateral destruction of each of these midbrain regions on brain catecholamines and sexual behavior in male rats. DLT lesions eliminated mating, reproducing the effect of bilateral preoptic lesions. The sexual activity of males with central gray lesions was accelerated in the sense that the mounting rate for these males was significantly faster than for controls and lesioned males ejaculated more frequently and with shorter latencies than did controls. A9 lesions impaired mating--lesioned males mounted at a slower rate and ejaculated less frequently than controls. Males with A10 lesions took longer to re-initiate mating after an ejaculation than controls, but copulation per se (as reflected in mount rate, ejaculation frequency and latency to ejaculate) was not affected by A10 damage. Brain catecholamine levels were not affected by either DLT or central gray lesions. A9 lesions produced a significant depletion in neostriatal dopamine which was highly correlated with mount latency, mount rate, ejaculation latency and ejaculation frequency. A10 lesions produced a significant depletion of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and cingulate cortex, but these effects were not significantly correlated with any measure of sexual behavior.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Inhibition of sexual behavior in female guinea pigs by a progestin receptor antagonist.

The new steroidal progestin receptor antagonist, RU 38486, was used to determine if progesterone-facilitation of sexual behavior in female guinea pigs requires interaction of the hormone with neural progestin receptors. Five milligrams but not 0.5 mg RU 38486 inhibits the expression of sexual behavior in ovariectomized, estrogen-primed guinea pigs treated with 0.1 mg progesterone. This inhibition can be overcome by administration of a large dose of progesterone, suggesting that the drug-effect is specific to the progestin receptor system. RU 38486 binds, in vitro, to progestin receptors and decreases the availability of hypothalamic progestin receptors in estrogen-treated guinea pigs. These studies provide strong evidence that progesterone interaction with intracellular neural progestin receptors mediates the facilitation of sexual behavior by progesterone in female guinea pigs.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

High-risk sexual behavior among drug-using men.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Drug-using men are at high risk for acquisition and transmission of STD, presumably due to the risky behaviors practiced in environments of drug use. GOAL OF THIS STUDY: To study behaviors associated with STD transmission among drug-using men. STUDY DESIGN: Drug outreach workers distributed vouchers to self-identified drug-using men in urban Atlanta. Vouchers could be redeemed for cash at a storefront clinic where subjects provided urine for a urethritis screening test (leukocyte esterase test) and a drug screen, and were interviewed. RESULTS: Of 382 voucher recipients, 252 (66%) came to the clinic. Subjects were predominantly black (92%), homeless (70%), and aged 20 to 40 (88%). All used illicit drugs; none were currently receiving drug abuse treatment. Urine drug screen confirmed recent cocaine use in 63%, and recent opiate use in 4%. Three-fourths reported a history of STD, mostly gonorrhea. In the preceding 3 months, 14% had not had sex, 80% had sex exclusively with women, 4% had sex with both men and women, and 2% had sex exclusively with men. Of the heterosexually active men, 29% had 5 or more recent partners. Compared to other heterosexually active men, these men were more likely to always use alcohol or crack before having sex (prevalence ratio [PR] = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.3-2.5) and to drink alcohol every day (PR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.2-3.3). Daily crack use was associated with choosing partners at elevated STD risk; daily alcohol use with having more partners. Positive drug screen for cocaine was associated with self-reported crack use. Urethritis, detected in 16%, was not correlated with behavior. CONCLUSION: A substantial number of drug-using men practice high-risk sexual behavior and should be targeted for intervention. Monetary and other incentives should be considered for recruitment. Further study is needed to clarify the relationship between sexual behavior, cocaine use, and STD.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Masculine sexual behavior features in the Flinders sensitive and resistant line rats.

The Flinders sensitive (FSL) and resistant (FRL) lines of rats have been selectively bred for their differences in cholinergic sensitivity. The FSL rats display hypersensitive responses to agonists of muscarinic receptors. In addition, the FSL rats display behavioral alterations that support the notion that this strain could be useful as an animal model of depression. These abnormalities include increase in rapid eye movement sleep, decrease of saccharin consumption after stress, and reduced exploratory behavior in a novel open field. On the other hand, sexual behavior is a pleasure-seeking behavior that should be altered in a mood disorder characterized by anhedonia. In the present study, spontaneous masculine sexual behavior features were analyzed, both during 30-min tests as well as during a satiety test. Results showed that, compared to outbred Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, both the FSL and the FRL rats displayed some behavioral impairment, like a marked decrease of the ejaculatory frequency. During the satiety tests, both the FSL and the FRL rats became exhausted sooner than their SD controls. In addition to considering the present results in terms of alterations in specific neurotransmitter systems, endogamy is proposed as a possible source of the behavioral alterations.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

Looking for change in response to the AIDS epidemic: trends in AIDS knowledge and sexual behavior in Zambia, 1990 through 1998.

This study investigates trends in AIDS knowledge and sexual behavior among men and women in urban Lusaka 1990 to 1998, and in all of Zambia, 1992 to 1998. Using data from representative surveys of urban Lusaka and of the country as a whole, population proportions were estimated to examine trends in knowledge and sexual risk behaviors. Differences in the estimated proportions between 1990 and 1998 were tested in Lusaka. In all Zambia, tests of difference were conducted between the earliest and latest years for which data were available for each indicator. A decline in premarital sexual activity was observed in urban Lusaka. In 1990, 50% of never married women reported no sexual experience, compared with 60% in 1998 (p =. 003); among men, the figures were 38% and 53%, respectively (p <. 001). Fewer women (1990, 8%; 1998, 2%; p <.001) and men (1990, 31%; 1998, 19%; p =.07) had extramarital partners. The bulk of change observed in urban Lusaka took place from 1990 to 1996; the changes in men's behavior observed between 1996 and 1998 were also observed in the national estimates for those years. National figures for other indicators from 1992 to 1998 were less encouraging. Apart from an increase in having ever used condoms, no change in women's sexual behavior was observed. Fewer men had premarital sex from 1996 to 1998 (1996, 64%; 1998, 46%; p <.001), but condom use with nonregular partners decreased among men (1996, 38%; 1998, 29%; p =.02). Prevention campaigns focused on education about AIDS and promoting safer sexual behavior appear to have made a difference in the early 1990s in Zambia. Findings from more recent years indicate that further change has stagnated. Renewed efforts are needed, particularly targeting condom use with nonregular partners.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1996

Prenatal naltrexone facilitates male sexual behavior in the rat.

The involvement of endogenous opiates in the differentiation of sexual behavior was tested by exposing rat fetuses to continuous naltrexone during the last 9 days of gestation. Time-mated female rats received oral naltrexone, 40 mg/kg/day, via their drinking water, from gestational day 13 until parturition. Early motor development, measured by swimming ability in 7-, 9-, and 11-day-old offspring of the treated dams, was unaffected by prenatal naltrexone. Adult male offspring were given three tests of male sexual behavior, then castrated, primed with ovarian hormones, and given two tests of feminine receptivity (lordosis quotient). Prenatal naltrexone facilitated masculine behavior and suppressed feminine receptivity: latencies to first mount and to ejaculation were shorter, mount rate was higher, and lordosis quotient was lower in naltrexone-treated rats, compared with control animals. These findings implicate endogenous opiates in prenatal organization of sex-specific behavioral dispositions.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Effects of repeated questionnaire administration in longitudinal studies of adolescent males' sexual behavior.

By comparing four similar groups of young adolescent males who completed questionnaires about their sexual behavior different numbers of times at various intervals, we explore the hypothesis that repeated questionnaire completion will affect sexual behavior. We find little support for the hypothesis even when the number of questionnaire administrations is very high.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1986

Sexual behavior of mares.

Behavior during the estrous phase of the ovulatory cycle of the mare is analogous in most ways to that of estrous females of other species. Proceptive behaviors bring the mare into the proximity of the male and attract his attention. Positioning facilitates mounting, intromission, and ejaculation. Estrous signs appear to be more intense in the few days prior to ovulation than during the transition periods that separate the recurring estrous and diestrous phases. Sexual behavior is absent during diestrus. Detection of estrus in mares is problematic in that it requires the presence (or at least facsimile acoustic or tactile stimuli) or a stallion. Unexplained conditions such as silent or subestrus make reliable determinations even more difficult. The choice of methods for distinguishing estrous from nonestrous mares depends, among other factors, upon characteristics of individual mares, as well as the number of mares to be evaluated. Detection of true estrus--that is, sexual behavior that is associated with follicular growth and ovulation--is confounded by the occurrence of estrus-like behavior independent of gonadal stimulation. Seasonally anovulatory and ovariectomized mares may regularly solicit and accept copulation despite low or even no circulating levels of ovarian steroids. Instead, endocrine support of sexual behavior in these mares appears to be provided by adrenal cortical androgens and/or estrogens. A smaller percentage of pregnant mares may also show some signs of estrus but are not likely to be receptive to mating. The ability of the mare to dissociate sexual behavior from ovulation is unique among infraprimate species studied. The display of estrous behavior and willingness to copulate, even at times when conception is impossible, may have functional significance in promoting band cohesiveness in wild and feral populations. Even without copulation, continued motivation to remain in proximity to the band stallion may contribute to the stability of the social unit outside the ovulatory season.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

MDMA ("Ecstasy") abuse and high-risk sexual behaviors among 169 gay and bisexual men.

OBJECTIVE: The authors explored the association between abuse of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, or "Ecstasy") and high-risk sexual behaviors among gay and bisexual men. METHOD: An anonymous questionnaire was completed by 169 gay and bisexual men at three New York City dance clubs. The questionnaire covered demographic indices, use of MDMA and other drugs, and history of high-risk sexual behaviors. RESULTS: About one-third of the respondents reported MDMA use at least monthly. MDMA use was strongly and significantly associated with a history of recent unprotected anal intercourse. This association remained equally strong even after controlling for age, ethnicity, and all other forms of drug use, including alcohol. CONCLUSIONS: MDMA abuse, and its strong association with high-risk sexual behaviors, appears to represent important unexplored public health problems among some gay or bisexual men.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1976

Relation of uptake and metabolism of (1,2,6,7-3H)testosterone to individual differences in sexual behavior in male guinea pigs.

Male guinea pigs were given 3 tests for sexual behavior. Animals that never ejaculated were classified as low activity (LA), animals that ejaculated on one test were classified as medium activity (MA), and animals that ejaculated on two or more tests were classified as high activity (HA). Subsequently, animals from each group were castrated and given an s.c. injection of 43 muCi of [1,2,6,7-3H]testosterone and were killed 0.5, 1, or 4 h after injection. There were no significant differences in uptake or metabolism of radioactive testosterone among LA, MA, and HA males in homogenates of anterior and posterior hypothalamus, cerebral cortex, midbrain, or seminal vesicle. Thus, differences in sexual behavior could not be attributed to differences in testosterone uptake in tissue homogenates. At the 1 h time interval (time of peak plasma radioactivity), radioactivity in the seminal vesicles of all males was primarily in the form of steroids with the chromatographic mobility of dihydrotestosterone. In all males, anterior and posterior hypothalamus contained a higher proportion of steroids with the mobility of testosterone than did midbrain, and midbrain contained more testosterone zone radioactivity than cerebral cortex at 1 h. The highest proportion of dihydrotestosterone zone radioactivity in neural tissues was found in anterior hypothalamus. These results are discussed in terms of androgenic mediation of sex behavior by the anterior hypothalamus in guinea pigs.

Animals↗

PubMed1989

Vasoactive intestinal peptide potentiates sexual behavior: inhibition by novel antagonist.

Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) has been suggested as a neurotransmitter mediating penile erection. We now show that VIP can stimulate sexual behavior in rats with reduced masculine potential due to pituitary grafting or castration. This effect was attenuated in the presence of a novel VIP antagonist, devised by a hybrid peptide strategy. Thus, we have synthesized a molecule combining a portion of VIP with a portion of neurotensin, peptides of opposite pharmacological action on cAMP formation and smooth muscle relaxation. The hybrid peptide markedly inhibited VIP's effect on sexual behavior. This inhibition was manifested by a significant increase in the mean interval between copulatory events (greater than 3-fold change) coupled with a blockade of VIP-stimulated ejaculation. Other putative VIP antagonists were not as effective in blocking these activities. Thus, our results imply that VIP is not only associated with penile erection, but is involved in sexual behavior as well. Furthermore, the hybrid antagonist was shown to inhibit VIP binding in glial cell cultures. The availability of highly potent VIP antagonists may offer a route to study the possible multiple VIP receptors as well as help delineate other biological activities attributable to VIP.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

Seropositivities to human papillomavirus types 16, 18, or 33 capsids and to Chlamydia trachomatis are markers of sexual behavior.

The association of seropositivity to human papillomavirus (HPV) capsids of types 11, 16, 18, or 33 with sexual behavior was investigated. Among 1002 women visiting family planning or youth clinics in Sweden, an age-matched subsample of 274 women stratified according to lifetime number of sex partners was analyzed. The proportion of HPV-16-seropositive subjects increased linearly at approximately 4% per partner (P < .001), from 4% among those with 1 lifetime partner to 35% among those with >5 lifetime partners. Also, HPV-33 and HPV-18 seroprevalences were linearly dependent on the number of partners (P < .001, increase with 4% per partner, and P = .008, increase with approximately 3% per partner, respectively), providing serologic confirmation that the important mode of transmission of HPV-16, -18, or -33 infection in women is sexual. HPV serology appears to be suitable as a marker of sexual behavior in populations.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Enkephalinase inhibition facilitates sexual behavior in the male rat but does not produce conditioned place preference.

The effects of two enkephalinase inhibitors, SCH 34826 and phospho-leu-phe, on male rat sexual behavior and conditioned place preference were evaluated. SCH 34826, administered intraperitoneally, reduced the ejaculation latency to both the first and second ejaculation at a dose of 30 mg/kg. This dose also reduced the first postejaculatory interval. No other effect was obtained with this drug. Phospho-leu-phe, administered intracerebroventricularly, increased mount and intromission latency at doses of 50 and 100 micrograms. A dose of 25 micrograms reduced the latency to the first ejaculation as well as the number of preejaculatory intromissions. The postejaculatory interval was also reduced at this dose. SCH 34826, 100 and 30 mg/kg, and phospho-leu-phe, 25 micrograms, had no effect in the conditioned place preference procedure. These observations seem to suggest that there is no functionally relevant tonic release of enkephalins. Therefore, the effects obtained on sexual behavior may indicate that enkephalins are released before and during the course of sexual activity. The function of such a release could be to facilitate ejaculatory mechanisms in the way found in the present studies. Previous work has shown that ejaculation-induced reward is opioid dependent, further supporting the hypothesis of opioid release during sexual activity. Taken together, these data suggest an important role for opioids, probably enkephalins, in the physiological control of sexual behavior.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Stress, coping, and high-risk sexual behavior.

We examined the relation between stress, coping, and a high-risk sexual behavior (unprotected anal intercourse) in 398 nonmonogamous gay and bisexual men from the AIDS Behavioral Research Project in San Francisco. Unprotected anal intercourse during the previous month, the amount of stress experienced during the previous month in each of 10 domains, six types of coping (self-controlling coping, escape-avoidance, distancing, planful problem-solving, seeking social support, and positive reappraisal), and spiritual beliefs and spiritual activities were assessed through self-report. There was no relation between stress and unprotected anal intercourse. However, there was a relation between coping and unprotected anal intercourse. Subjects who reported unprotected anal intercourse used sex more of the time to help cope with stressful situations than did subjects who did not report unprotected anal intercourse. Unprotected anal intercourse was negatively associated with seeking social support and spiritual activities and positively associated with self-controlling coping, which involves keeping one's feelings to oneself, and positive reappraisal. The findings suggest that social aspects of coping may be a key to understanding differences between those who engage in high-risk sexual behavior and those who do not.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed2004

Sexual behavior and hormonal estrus cycles in captive aged lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla).

To evaluate whether observed cycles in proceptive behavior in aging lowland gorilla females (age 40+) at Brookfield Zoo were driven by ovarian activity, we compared monthly behavioral data to estradiol and progestogen cycles based on fecal hormone assessments. Progestogen peaks showed regularity and close coincidence with monthly sexual behaviors. Estradiol was more variable. Progestogen peaks varied between 22+/-5 days for the control female (29 years old), to 24+/-2.5 and 29+/-8 for the two aged subjects. In the first aged female, which was housed with other females and a silverback, the high degree of cyclicity in sexual behavior, regularity of progestogen cycles, and close concordance between hormonal cycling and sexual behavior strongly compared to patterns found (in this and other studies) in gorilla females <35 years old. Cyclical progestogen peaks were longer and more variable in the second aged female-perhaps because she lacked the social mediation of other females or a male. For husbandry reasons she is not housed with the gorilla group, behavioral data were not collected from her. The value of our longitudinal study is in obtaining reproductive profiles of primate females that are approaching maximum lifespan. This pilot study is part of a larger research project on reproductive senescence that will include other captive females >35 years old, a population that is rapidly increasing in North American zoos as gorillas continue to age.

Age Factors↗