Sexual behavior in male rhesus monkeys elicited by electrical stimulation of preoptic and hypothalamic areas

Abstract

Electrical stimulation of the preoptic area, lateral hypothalamus or dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (DMH) has produced sexual behavioral responses in 11 male rhesus monkeys. At a short latency following the onset of each train of stimulation, the stimulated males would mount estrogen-treated, receptive females. Quantitative measures of the elicited sexual behavior, in 4 males, were applied to describe differences between the effects of preoptic and DMH stimulation on male sexual performance. As compared to spontaneous sexual activity, stimulation of the DMH produced mounts of longer duration, with more thrusts per mount, higher thrusting rates and a greater number of ejaculations per test session; refractory periods between successive ejaculatory episodes were shortened as a result of stimulation-induced mounting behavior. Preoptic stimulation also induced mounts of longer than normal duration characterized by a slightly increased number of thrusts per mount. In contrast to DMH stimulus effects, however, thrusting rate was decreased significantly by preoptic stimulation and ejaculation did not occur even after multiple stimulus-induced mounts. Penile erections were elicited by stimulation of the anterior hypothalamus, ventromedial nucleus and the posterior hypothalamus in socially isolated or restrained males; however, stimulation of these same sites was ineffective for provoking sexual behavioral responses when tests were performed while the males were paired with receptive females.