1.01 – Male Sexual Behavior

Copulation and the physiological mechanisms of erection and ejaculation are described. In most rodents, testosterone's behavioral effects are mediated mostly by conversion to estrogen in neurons, whereas in primates, including humans, and some other animals, testosterone itself is the major hormone. Brain areas that control mating include the amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, medial preoptic area, paraventricular nucleus, mesolimbic and nigrostriatal tracts, central tegmental field, lateral and ventromedial hypothalamus, and motor outputs, including the spinal cord. Drugs affecting dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, opioids, nitric oxide, oxytocin, and orexin/hypocretin administered systemically or into specific brain areas influence mating.