Melatonin protects against the effects of chronic stress on ... : NeuroReport (original) (raw)
Motivation, Emotion, Feeding, Drinking
Melatonin protects against the effects of chronic stress on sexual behaviour in male rats
Department of Psychology, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4
CACorresponding Author
Received 9 July 2001; accepted 24 August 2001
Abstract
The effects of chronic mild stress (CMS) on both sexual behaviour and wet dog shakes (WDS), a serotonergic type 2A (5-HT2A) receptor-mediated behaviour, were explored in the male rat. In addition, the possible attenuation of these effects by chronic treatment with melatonin, a putative 5-HT2A antagonist, was examined. The CMS procedure resulted in a significant increase in WDS and an overall decrease in all aspects of sexual behaviour. Concurrent melatonin administra-tion attenuated the CMS-induced effects on sexual behaviour, but not the effects on either spontaneous WDS or WDS in response to the 5-HT2A agonist 1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane, suggesting a mechanism of action other than exclusive 5-HT2A antagonism. These results are the first to demonstrate that melatonin significantly protects against the detrimental effects of a chronic stressor on sexual behaviour.
© 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc.