Penile deafferentation and the effect of mating experience on sexual motivation in adult male rats

In the present study naive male rats were used, in which before or after housing for 5 days with receptive females penile deafferentation was performed by means of transection of the pudendal nerves. In subsequent mating tests the males were only able to exhibit mounting behavior. It appeared that the animals with mating experience prior to penile denervation, mounted significantly more than the animals that had been denervated before housing with the females. Furthermore the last group showed longer contact latencies, which were similar to those observed in denervated animals that had not been housed with females. It is concluded that the reinforcing value of copulatory performances upon sexual motivation in the rat is completely dependent upon the integrity of penile afferent innervation.