Sexual Satiety
different patterns of c-fos expression are observed in male hamsters mated to different endpoints of copulation--female odors, 1 ejaculation and multiple ejaculations
neuronal cell “clusters” in cMePD: their appearance is dependent upon how close a male is to sexual satiety
- clusters are present in all males mated to long intromissions (LI)
- clusters are present after only 1 ejaculation in repeatedly mated males (4 ejaculations away from LI) but not in rested males (9 ejaculations away from LI)
thus, neuronal cell “clusters” in cMePD may reflect development of a state of satiety
in the literature, there is evidence that lesioning this part of the medial amygdala in female hamsters can produce a significant increase in the duration of copulation [Takahashi & Gladstone (1988) Behav. Neurosci., 102: 268-275]