Experiment 1 Design
The protocol and methods for this experiment were adapted from Lagoda et al. (2004),
Powell et al. (2003), and Vigdorchik et al. (2012). Forty-eight sexually naïve male rats were
separated into 4 groups, 3 of which received either vehicle (n=10), 1μg SCH-23390 (n=15),
or 3μg of SCH-23390 (n=14) into the MPOA preceding exposure to an estrous female; the
fourth group received vehicle but were not exposed to a female (n=9). For males in the first
3 groups, a sexually receptive but inaccessible female was presented in a wire mesh cage
(12.5 cm × 26.0 cm × 15.0 cm) above the test subject's home cage for a 30 min
noncopulatory exposure. Controls were presented with an empty box placed over their home
cage for 30 min. These procedures were repeated for 7 consecutive days for all treatment
groups. On Day 8, all subjects were tested drug-free for copulatory behavior in their home
cage, followed by a locomotor activity test in an open field apparatus