Sexual Satiety
Experiment #2: Does mating to only 1 ejaculation produce different patterns of neuronal activation in males that differ in their proximity to sexual satiety?
Design:
- compare pattern of Fos-immunostaining within sexually experienced male hamsters mated to only one ejaculation in 2 groups: 1) rested male hamsters (rested 1 week), and 2) male hamsters mated to long intromissions on 4 consecutive days prior to experimental day
Results: (focus on neuronal cell “clusters” in cMePD)
- following mating to only 1 ejaculation, repeatedly mated males showed the presence of neuronal cell “clusters” within cMePD, while the rested males did not
Conclusion:
- the number of ejaculations are not critical for the occurrence of neuronal cell “clusters” within cMePD, rather the proximity to satiety was the critical factor
- neuronal cell “clusters in cMePD may reflect development of a state of satiety!