Artigo Produção Nacional Revisado por pares

Effects of perinatal picrotoxin and sexual experience on heterosexual and homosexual behavior in male rats

2002; Elsevier BV; Volume: 24; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0892-0362(01)00213-6

ISSN

1872-9738

Autores

Elizabeth Teodorov, Simone Angelica Salzgeber, Luciano Freitas Felício, Franci M.F Varolli, Maria Martha Bernardi,

Tópico(s)

Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones

Resumo

The effects of perinatal picrotoxin (0.75 mg/kg) on heterosexual and homosexual behavior of male rats, sexually experienced or not, were studied. The following data were obtained: (1) at birth, body weight and anogenital distance were not modified by the treatment; (2) during lactation, both treatment and sex interfered with body weight as well as in adult age; (3) as experimental animals were trained, the heterosexual behavior was improved; (4) picrotoxin treatment reduced lordotic response of homosexual behavior in inexperienced male rats and (5) the heterosexual experience with female rats inhibited homosexual behavior of both experimental and control animals. These results suggest that perinatal maternal picrotoxin exposure improved heterosexual behavior in male rats and the sexual experience reveals this effect. In addition, picrotoxin did not induce feminization in experimental inexperienced rats. Finally, the sexual experience per se promotes changes in brain regions related to male behavioral and sexual aspects.

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