Ventura-Aquino Elisa, Paredes Raúl G
Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, Mexico.
Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, Mexico.
Front Behav Neurosci. 2023 Sep 28;17:1184897. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1184897. eCollection 2023.
Paced mating in rats is an experimental condition that allows the evaluation of sexual behavior in a way that closely resembles what occurs in seminatural and natural conditions enabling the female to control the rate of the sexual interaction. In conventional non-paced mating tests, females cannot escape from male approaches, which may lead to an unrewarding overstimulation. Paced mating is an alternative laboratory procedure that improves animal welfare and has a higher ethological relevance. The use of this procedure contributed to the identification of physiological and behavioral factors that favor reproduction. Paced mating includes motivational and behavioral components differentiating quantitative and qualitative characteristics that are critical for the induction of the rewarding properties of mating. These positive consequences ensure that the behavior will be repeated, favoring the species' survival. Sexual reward is an immediate consequence of paced mating, mediated mainly by the endogenous opioid system. Paced mating also induces long-lasting neuroplastic changes, including gene expression, synthesis of proteins, and neurogenesis in sex-relevant brain areas. The interest in paced mating is growing since the complexity of its elements and consequences at different levels in a laboratory setting resembles what occurs in natural conditions. In this review, we analyze the classic studies and recent publications demonstrating the advantages of using paced mating to evaluate different aspects of sexual behavior in females.
大鼠的节奏性交配是一种实验条件，它能以一种与半自然和自然条件下的情况极为相似的方式来评估性行为，使雌性能够控制性互动的速率。在传统的非节奏性交配测试中，雌性无法躲避雄性的接近，这可能会导致无回报的过度刺激。节奏性交配是一种替代性的实验室程序，它能改善动物福利且具有更高的行为学相关性。使用这种程序有助于识别有利于繁殖的生理和行为因素。节奏性交配包括动机和行为成分，这些成分区分了对于诱导交配奖励特性至关重要的数量和质量特征。这些积极后果确保了该行为会被重复，有利于物种的生存。性奖励是节奏性交配的直接后果，主要由内源性阿片系统介导。节奏性交配还会诱导长期的神经可塑性变化，包括与性相关脑区的基因表达、蛋白质合成和神经发生。由于其在实验室环境中不同层面的元素和后果的复杂性类似于自然条件下发生的情况，对节奏性交配的兴趣正在增加。在这篇综述中，我们分析了经典研究和近期出版物，这些研究和出版物展示了使用节奏性交配来评估雌性性行为不同方面的优势。
