Inhibitory influence of corticotropin releasing factor on components of sexual behaviour in the male rat.

Acute microinfusions of ovine corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) into the third cerebral ventricle (III vent.) of sexually experienced male rats produced a dose-dependent suppression of masculine sexual behaviour. This inhibition of male sexual performance induced by CRF could be reversed by simultaneous infusions of naloxone, the opiate receptor antagonist, which when infused without CRF facilitated copulatory performance. These findings suggest that CRF can exert drastic effects on male reproductive behaviour through mechanisms which involve the activation of opioid pathways within the central nervous system. This CRF-linked neurochemical signal may mediate some of the well-known deleterious effects of stressful and noxious stimuli on reproductive function.