Chapter 10: NEURAL CONTROL OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR

Question 1

What does the cerebral cortex control in sexual behaviour?

Answer 1

Neural control of sexual response

Question 2

What does the spinal cord control in sexual behaviour?

Answer 2

Mediates sexual response of genitals

Question 3

What does the parasympathetic ANS control in sexual behaviour?

Answer 3

engorgement/erection

Question 4

What does the sympathetic ANS control in sexual behaviour?

Answer 4

orgasm and muscle contraction.

Question 5

Where are the neurons that control erection and ejaculation located ?

Answer 5

in the spinal cord

Question 6

Are the brain mechanisms for the control of erection and ejaculation inhibitory or excitatory?

Answer 6

Both excitatory and inhibitory

Question 7

What does stimulation of the medial preoptic area (mPOA) produce?

Answer 7

elicits male copulatory behaviour

Question 8

What is the sexually dimorphic nucleus?

Answer 8

• A nucleus in the preoptic area that is much larger in males than in females
• First observed in rats
• Plays a role in male sexual behaviour.

Question 9

What is the size of the sexually dimorphic nucleus controlled by?

Answer 9

The amount of androgens present during fetal development

Question 10

What are the most important connections between the MPA and the motor neurons accomplished by?

Answer 10

• PAG: periaqueductal gray matte

- nPGi: nucleus paragigantocellularis

Question 11

Central Tegmental Field in male sexual behaviour?

Answer 11

Mating causes production of Fos protein in that area

Question 12

PGA in male sexual behaviour?

Answer 12

• Normally excites the nPGi

- Inhibited by the MPA

Question 13

MPA in male sexual behavior?

Answer 13

• destruction abolishes sexual behaviour
• Prenatal stress reduces size of sexually dimorphic nucleus, decreases sexual behaviour.
• Mating causes production of Fos protein in MPA
• Injection of testosterone enhances sexual behavior of castrated rats.

Question 14

Medial Amygdala in male sexual behaviour?

Answer 14

• destruction disrupts sexual behavior

- Mating causes production of Fos protein in that area

Question 15

nPGI of medulla in male sexual behavior?

Answer 15

• Normally inhibits mating behavior

- Inhibited by the MPA

Question 16

SLide 63

Answer 16

Resume diagram for all the brain areas in male sexual behavior

Question 17

What does stimulating the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus result in female sexual behavior?

Answer 17

• facilitates sexual behaviour
• destroying it abolishes sexual behaviour
• estradiol and progesterone in VMH stimulate sexual behaviour

Question 18

PAG in female sexual behavior?

Answer 18

• destruction abolishes sexual behavior
• estradiol treatment or stimulation of VMH increases neural activity
• neurons contain estrogen and progesterone receptors

Question 19

Medial amygdala in female sexual behavior?

Answer 19

• Mating causes production of Fos protein

- Neurons contain estrogen and progesterone receptors

Question 20

VMH in female sexual behavior?

Answer 20

• Destruction abolishes sexual behavior.
• Mating causes production of Fos protein.
• Neurons contain estrogen and progesterone receptors.
• Injection of estradiol and progesterone enhances sexual behavior of ovariectomized rats

Question 21

What type of pair bonding do prairie voles engage in ?

Answer 21

-social and monogamous

Question 22

What type of pair bonding do montane voles engage in?

Answer 22

Asocial and promiscuous

Question 23

What differences in levels of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors characterize prairie voles?

Answer 23

More ocxytocin in female voles and more vasopressin in male voles

Question 24

What differences in levels of oxytocin and vasopressin receptors characterize montane voles?

Answer 24

Fewer receptors for oxytocin and vasopressin

Question 25

Do OT and vasopressin play a role in pair bonding?

Answer 25

• Yes

- Being in love is associated with high levels of OT