Graham J M, Desjardins C
Science. 1980 Nov 28;210(4473):1039-41. doi: 10.1126/science.7434016.
A classical conditioning paradigm was used to demonstrate that male rats can learn to secrete luteinizing hormone and testosterone in anticipation of sexual activity. Sexually naïve males were exposed to a neutral stimulus and then to a sexually receptive female once daily. After exposure to the paired stimuli for 14 trials, the neutral stimulus was as effective as the female in triggering luteinizing hormone and testosterone secretion. These findings provide two novel perspectives on the control of reproductive hormone secretion in male rats: (i) environmental cues, which males learn to associate with sexual activity, induce the secretion of hormones that regulate pituitary-testis function, and (ii) classical conditioning may be used as a noninvasive method to evoke functional alterations in the secretion of luteinizing hormone and presumably the neuroendocrine pathways that mediate its release.
采用经典条件反射范式来证明雄性大鼠能够学会在预期性活动时分泌促黄体生成素和睾酮。将性经验不足的雄性大鼠每天一次先暴露于中性刺激下，然后再接触性接受期的雌性大鼠。在接受14次配对刺激后，中性刺激在触发促黄体生成素和睾酮分泌方面与雌性大鼠同样有效。这些发现为雄性大鼠生殖激素分泌的控制提供了两个新的视角：（i）雄性大鼠学会与性活动相关联的环境线索会诱导调节垂体-睾丸功能的激素分泌；（ii）经典条件反射可作为一种非侵入性方法来引发促黄体生成素分泌的功能改变，以及推测介导其释放的神经内分泌途径的改变。
