SEXUAL REFLEXES AND MATING BEHAVIOR IN THE MALE RAT

SEXUAL REFLEXES EXHIBITED BY THE SPINAL MALE RAT IN RESPONSE TO GENITAL STIMULATION CONSISTED OF ERECTIONS, QUICK FLIPS, AND LONG FLIPS OF THE GLANS PENIS. THE LONG FLIP WAS ACCOMPANIED BY VENTRAL FLEXION OF THE PELVIS AND RESEMBLED THE EJACULATORY RESPONSE OF NONSPINAL SS DURING MATING. THESE REFLEXES, WHICH WERE EVOKED WHEN LIGHT PRESSURE WAS CONSTANTLY APPLIED TO THE BASE OF THE PENIS, OCCURRED IN CLUSTERS AT 2-3 MIN. INTERVALS AND APPEARED TO REPRESENT THE ACTIVITY OF A SPINAL TIMING MECHANISM. WHEN COMPARED TO SEXUAL REFLEXES OF SPINAL MALE DOGS, REFLEXES IN RATS APPEARED TO BE MORE COMPLEX AND POSSIBLY EXPLAIN SOME OF THE COMPLEXITIES OF THE MATING BEHAVIOR OF THE RAT. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).