Sexual experience and conditioned place preference in male rats.

We have previously shown that sexual behavior induces a reward state, as evaluated by conditioned place preference (CPP), only when males or females are able to control the rate of sexual interaction. In the present experiment, we evaluated if male rats that are repeatedly tested in a situation in which they are not able to control the sexual interaction eventually develop CPP. Three groups of sexually naïve male rats were used. One group never mated. A second group was tested once a week for 10 consecutive weeks in a chamber in which they controlled the rate of the sexual interaction. The third group was mated for the same number of weeks in a chamber in which the female, but not the male, controlled mating. The three groups were then tested for CPP. Only the group able to control the sexual interaction developed CPP. The group that had no control over the rate of the sexual interaction did not develop CPP even after 10 tests in which they consistently displayed sexual behavior. These results suggest that an estrous female and/or sexual behavior are powerful incentives that maintain mating even if the rewarding properties of the incentive are reduced.