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The Journal of Neuroscience, January 1, 1999, 19(1):456-463

Facilitation of Sexual Behavior and Enhanced Dopamine Efflux in the Nucleus Accumbens of Male Rats after D-Amphetamine-Induced Behavioral Sensitization

Dennis F. Fiorino and Anthony G. Phillips

Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4

Behavioral sensitization caused by repeated and intermittent administration of psychostimulants, such as cocaine and D-amphetamine, is accompanied by enhanced function in limbic-motor circuitry that is involved in the generation of motivated behavior. The present microdialysis study investigated the effect of D-amphetamine-induced sensitization on dopamine (DA) efflux in the nucleus accumbens (NAC) of male rats during sexual behavior. Male rats were given one injection of D-amphetamine (1.5 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline every other day for a total of 10 injections. Three weeks after discontinuation of drug treatment, rats were tested for sexual behavior during a test in which microdialysis was performed. There was an augmented efflux of DA in the NAC of D-amphetamine-sensitized rats compared with nonsensitized control rats when a receptive female was present behind a screen (35 vs 17%). Sensitized rats exhibited facilitated sexual behavior when the screen was removed, as indicated by a significantly shorter latency to mount and an overall increase in the amount of copulatory behavior. Although there was a significant increase in NAC DA concentrations from baseline in both sensitized and nonsensitized rats during copulation, there was a greater increase in DA efflux in the NAC of sensitized rats during the first 10 min copulatory sample (60 vs 37%). These results demonstrate that behavioral sensitization caused by repeated psychostimulant administration can "cross-sensitize" to a natural behavior, such as sex, and that increased NAC DA release may contribute to the facilitation of appetitive and consummatory aspects of this behavior.

Key words: sensitization; D-amphetamine; sexual behavior; motivation; appetitive; consummatory; mesolimbic; nucleus accumbens; dopamine; microdialysis

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Copyright © 1999 Society for Neuroscience  0270-6474/99/191456-08$05.00/0

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