Sexual reflexes in male and female rats.

A novel preparation for the study of male and female sexual function in anesthetized, acutely spinalized rats is reported. In both sexes, the coitus reflex (the neuromuscular concomitants of sexual climax) could be elicited by mechanical stimulation of the distal urethra. It is concluded that the spinal sexual circuitry is essentially similar in both sexes and that the coitus reflex is generated by a hormone-insensitive spinal pattern generator and is triggered by a simple peripheral stimulus.