Oliveira, V. E. M. and de Jong, Trynke R. and Neumann, Inga D. (2022) Modelling sexual violence in male rats: the sexual aggression test (SxAT). TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY, 12 (1): 207. ISSN 2158-3188,
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Sexual assault and rape are crimes that impact victims worldwide. Although the psychosocial and eco-evolutionary factors associated with this antisocial behavior have repeatedly been studied, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are still largely unknown. Here, we established a novel paradigm to provoke and subsequently assess sexual aggression (SxA) in adult male Wistar rats: the sexual aggression test (SxAT). Briefly, male Wistar rats are sexually aroused by a receptive female, which is exchanged by a non-receptive female immediately after the first intromission. This protocol elicits forced mounting and aggressive behavior toward the non-receptive female to different degrees, which can be scored. In a series of experiments we have shown that SxA behavior is a relatively stable trait in rats and correlates positively with sexual motivation. Rats with innate abnormal anxiety and aggressive behavior also show abnormal SxA behavior. In addition, central infusion of oxytocin moderately inhibits aggressive behavior, but increases forced mounting. Finally, we identified the agranular insular cortex to be specifically activated by SxA, however, inhibition of this region did not significantly alter behavior in the SxAT. Altogether, the SxAT is a paradigm that can be readily implemented in behavioral laboratories as a valuable tool to find answers regarding the biological mechanisms underlying SxA in humans, as well as social decision-making in general.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | VASOPRESSIN RELEASE; OXYTOCIN RECEPTOR; NEURAL CIRCUITS; SOCIAL-BEHAVIOR; ANXIETY; STRESS; INTERMALE; RISK; CONSEQUENCES; RECIDIVISM; |
| Subjects: | 500 Science > 590 Zoological sciences |
| Divisions: | Biology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Zoologie > Tierphysiologie/Neurobiologie (Prof. Dr. Inga Neumann) |
| Depositing User: | Dr. Gernot Deinzer |
| Date Deposited: | 14 Feb 2024 08:05 |
| Last Modified: | 14 Feb 2024 08:05 |
| URI: | https://pred.uni-regensburg.de/id/eprint/57300 |
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