Copulatory behavior of male rats raised in isolation and subjected to partial decortication prior to the acquisition of sexual experience.

Abstract

46 rats were raised in isolation after 21 days of age. 24 of them were subjected to cortical operations at 90 to 100 days of age. The following data were obtained for each rat during 7 copulation tests with receptive [female][female]: activation time, copulations, attempts, vaginal plugs, responsiveness to [female], and atypical methods of copulation. The effect of the cortical operation on the sex behavior of virgin rats was comparable to the effect observed in rats in which the lesions were produced after the acquisition of sexual experiences. In both of these groups the proportion of post-operative copulators was inversely related to the % of cortex destroyed. Similarly, in these groups the % of tests in which coition occurred was inversely related to the size of the lesion. Partial decortication reduced the responsiveness of the [male][male]. Partial decortication had no effect on the time involved in making the first copulation reaction. No effects could be attributed to sub-cortical lesions.