Hypothalamic cellular and molecular plasticity linked to sexual experience in male rats and mice

Arnaud Jean; Sakina Mhaouty-Kodja; Hélène Hardin-Pouzet

doi:10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100949

Hypothalamic cellular and molecular plasticity linked to sexual experience in male rats and mice

Front Neuroendocrinol. 2021 Oct:63:100949. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100949. Epub 2021 Oct 20.

Authors

Arnaud Jean¹, Sakina Mhaouty-Kodja¹, Hélène Hardin-Pouzet²

Affiliations

¹ Sorbonne Université - Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie, Neuroplasticité des Comportements de la Reproduction, Neurosciences Paris Seine, UM119 - CNRS UMR 8246 - INSERM UMRS 1130, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75 005 Paris, France.
² Sorbonne Université - Faculté de Sciences et Ingénierie, Neuroplasticité des Comportements de la Reproduction, Neurosciences Paris Seine, UM119 - CNRS UMR 8246 - INSERM UMRS 1130, 7 quai Saint Bernard, 75 005 Paris, France. Electronic address: helene.pouzet@sorbonne-universite.fr.

PMID: 34687674
DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100949

Abstract

Male sexual behavior is subject to learning, resulting in increased efficiency of experienced males compared to naive ones. The improvement in behavioral parameters is underpinned by cellular and molecular changes in the neural circuit controlling sexual behavior, particularly in the hypothalamic medial preoptic area. This review provides an update on the mechanisms related to the sexual experience in male rodents, emphasizing the differences between rats and mice.

Keywords: Male sexual behavior; Medial preoptic area; Sexual experience.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Hypothalamus
Male
Mice
Preoptic Area*
Rats
Sexual Behavior, Animal*