RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Pain Reduces Sexual Motivation in Female But Not Male Mice
JF The Journal of Neuroscience
JO J. Neurosci.
FD Society for Neuroscience
SP 5747
OP 5753
DO 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5337-13.2014
VO 34
IS 17
A1 Farmer, Melissa A.
A1 Leja, Alison
A1 Foxen-Craft, Emily
A1 Chan, Lindsey
A1 MacIntyre, Leigh C.
A1 Niaki, Tina
A1 Chen, Mengsha
A1 Mapplebeck, Josiane C.S.
A1 Tabry, Vanessa
A1 Topham, Lucas
A1 Sukosd, Melissa
A1 Binik, Yitzchak M.
A1 Pfaus, James G.
A1 Mogil, Jeffrey S.
YR 2014
UL http://www.jneurosci.org/content/34/17/5747.abstract
AB Chronic pain is often associated with sexual dysfunction, suggesting that pain can reduce libido. We find that inflammatory pain reduces sexual motivation, measured via mounting behavior and/or proximity in a paced mating paradigm, in female but not male laboratory mice. Pain was produced by injection of inflammogens zymosan A (0.5 mg/ml) or λ-carrageenan (2%) into genital or nongenital (hind paw, tail, cheek) regions. Sexual behavior was significantly reduced in female mice experiencing pain (in all combinations); male mice similarly treated displayed unimpeded sexual motivation. Pain-induced reductions in female sexual behavior were observed in the absence of sex differences in pain-related behavior, and could be rescued by the analgesic, pregabalin, and the libido-enhancing drugs, apomorphine and melanotan-II. These findings suggest that the well known context sensitivity of the human female libido can be explained by evolutionary rather than sociocultural factors, as female mice can be similarly affected.