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Assessment of sexual behavior in rats: the potentials and pitfalls
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2017-10-27)
In the field of behavioral neuroscience, it is essential to use the appropriate animal models for the topic of investigation. Using the wrong model can result in false interpretation of the results. In this review we will discuss the animal models used to study sexual behavior, with a focus on rats. We will discuss the potentials and pitfalls of the different paradigms and try to make recommendations ...
A cooperative function for multisensory stimuli in the induction of approach behavior of a potential mate
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2017-03-17)
Intrasexual competition is an important element of natural selection in which the most attractive conspecific has a considerable reproductive advantage over the others. The conspecifics that are approached first often become the preferred mate partners, and could thus from a biological perspective have a reproductive advantage. This underlines the importance of the initial approach and raises the ...
Silent or Vocalizing Rats Copulate in a Similar Manner
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2015-12-03)
Both male and female rats produce 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in the presence
of a sexual partner and during copulation. Previous studies showed that USVs have no
incentive value for rats. In this study, we evaluated the role of USVs in behavior during copulation.
Three groups of rats were used: sham males paired with sham females, devocalized
females paired with sham males, and sham ...
Perinatal fluoxetine exposure changes social and stress-coping behavior in adult rats housed in a seminatural environment
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2019-04-06)
The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) during pregnancy has increased tremendously, but the consequences for the offspring remain largely unclear. Several studies have described potential effects of perinatal SSRI-exposure on neurobehavioral outcomes using simplified rodent test set-ups, however these set-ups only assess a small fraction of the behavior. For translational purposes ...
Female Reproductive Behavior
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2019-02-19)
Role of Oestrogen α Receptors in Sociosexual Behaviour in Female Rats Housed in a Seminatural Environment
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2015-08-28)
The present study investigated the role of oestrogen receptor (ER)α in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN), the preoptic area (POA), the medial amygdala (MePD) and the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) in sociosexual behaviour in female rats. This was conducted in two sets of experiments, with the VMN and POA investigated in the first set, and the MePD and BNST in the second set. ...
Protein Appetite Drives Macronutrient-Related Differences in Ventral Tegmental Area Neural Activity
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-06-09)
Control of protein intake is essential for numerous biological processes as several amino acids cannot be synthesized de novo, however, its neurobiological substrates are still poorly understood. In the present study, we combined in vivo fiber photometry with nutrient-conditioned flavor in a rat model of protein appetite to record neuronal activity in the VTA, a central brain region for the control ...
Effects of gonadectomy and dihydrotestosterone on neuronal plasticity in motivation and reward related brain regions in the male rat
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2020-11-06)
Gonadal hormones affect neuronal morphology to ultimately regulate behaviour. In female rats, oestradiol mediates spine plasticity in hypothalamic and limbic brain structures, contributing to long‐lasting effects on motivated behaviour. Parallel effects of androgens in male rats have not been extensively studied. Here, we investigated the effect of both castration and androgen replacement on spine ...
Silencing and stimulating the medial amygdala impairs ejaculation but not sexual incentive motivation in male rats
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-02-24)
The medial amygdala (MeA) is a sexually dimorphic brain region that integrates sensory information and hormonal signaling, and is involved in the regulation of social behaviors. Lesion studies have shown a role for the MeA in copulation, most prominently in the promotion of ejaculation. The role of the MeA in sexual motivation, but also in temporal patterning of copulation, has not been extensively ...
Male rat sexual behavior: Insights from inter-copulatory intervals
(Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-07-09)
The assessment of sexual behavior in male rats with the aim of unraveling underlying neurobiological mechanisms has in the recent decades been reduced to the annotation of mounts, intromissions and ejaculations. To provide a better understanding of the structure and patterns of copulation, it is necessary to extend and tailor the analysis to the natural organization of male rat copulation. This will ...