Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Horm Behav. 2010 Jun;58(1):149-62. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.11.009. Epub 2009 Dec 31.
Drugs of abuse act on the brain circuits mediating motivation and reward associated with natural behaviors. There is ample evidence that drugs of abuse impact male and female sexual behavior. First, the current review discusses the effect of drugs of abuse on sexual motivation and performance in male and female humans. In particular, we discuss the effects of commonly abused drugs including psychostimulants, opiates, marijuana/THC, and alcohol. In general, drug use affects sexual motivation, arousal, and performance and is commonly associated with increased sexual risk behaviors. Second, studies on effects of systemic administration of drugs of abuse on sexual behavior in animals are reviewed. These studies analyze the effects on sexual performance and motivation but do not investigate the effects of drugs on risk-taking behavior, creating a disconnect between human and animal studies. For this reason, we discuss two studies that focus on the effects of alcohol and methamphetamine on inhibition of maladaptive sex-seeking behaviors in rodents. Third, this review discusses potential brain areas where drugs of abuse may be exerting their effect on sexual behavior with a focus on the mesolimbic system as the site of action. Finally, we discuss recent studies that have brought to light that sexual experience in turn can affect drug responsiveness, including a sensitized locomotor response to amphetamine in female and male rodents as well as enhanced drug reward in male rats.
滥用药物作用于与自然行为相关的动机和奖励的大脑回路。有充分的证据表明，滥用药物会影响男性和女性的性行为。首先，本综述讨论了滥用药物对男性和女性人类的性动机和性行为的影响。特别是，我们讨论了包括兴奋剂、阿片类药物、大麻/四氢大麻酚和酒精在内的常见滥用药物的影响。一般来说，药物使用会影响性动机、唤起和表现，并常与增加的性风险行为有关。其次，综述了系统给予滥用药物对动物性行为的影响的研究。这些研究分析了对性行为表现和动机的影响，但没有调查药物对冒险行为的影响，这使得人类和动物研究之间存在脱节。出于这个原因，我们讨论了两项研究，重点是酒精和安非他命对抑制啮齿动物不适应的求爱行为的影响。第三，本综述讨论了滥用药物可能对性行为产生影响的潜在大脑区域，重点是中脑边缘系统作为作用部位。最后，我们讨论了最近的研究，这些研究揭示了性经验反过来又可以影响药物反应性，包括雌性和雄性啮齿动物对安非他命的运动反应敏化以及雄性大鼠的药物奖励增强。
