Cited by 63Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorHypothalamic control of reproductive hormonesNeuropeptides and Animal Physiology

Oxytocin Influences Male Sexual Activity via Non-synaptic Axonal Release in the Spinal Cord

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Oti, Takumi, Satoh, Keita, Uta, Daisuke, Nagafuchi, Junta, Tateishi, Sayaka, Ueda, Ryota, Takanami, Keiko, Young, Larry J. +4 more·2021·Current Biology

Abstract

Oxytocinergic neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus that project to extrahypothalamic brain areas and the lumbar spinal cord play an important role in the control of erectile function and male sexual behavior in mammals. The gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) system in the lumbosacral spinal cord is an important component of the neural circuits that control penile reflexes in rats, circuits that are commonly referred to as the "spinal ejaculation generator (SEG)." We have examined the functional interaction between the SEG neurons and the hypothalamo-spinal oxytocin system in rats. Here, we show that SEG/GRP neurons express oxytocin receptors and are activated by oxytocin during male sexual behavior. Intrathecal injection of oxytocin receptor antagonist not only attenuates ejaculation but also affects pre-ejaculatory behavior during normal sexual activity. Electron microscopy of potassium-stimulated acute slices of the lumbar cord showed that oxytocin-neurophysin-immunoreactivity was detected in large numbers of neurosecretory dense-cored vesicles, many of which are located close to the plasmalemma of axonal varicosities in which no electron-lucent microvesicles or synaptic membrane thickenings were visible. These results suggested that, in rats, release of oxytocin in the lumbar spinal cord is not limited to conventional synapses but occurs by exocytosis of the dense-cored vesicles from axonal varicosities and acts by diffusion-a localized volume transmission-to reach oxytocin receptors on GRP neurons and facilitate male sexual function.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cub.2020.09.089

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  • The appetitive and consummatory aspects of sex are regulated by gonadal steroids (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) as well as by OT, DA, and AVP.

    “The appetitive and consummatory aspects of sex are regulated by gonadal steroids (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) as well as by OT, DA, and AVP [51,119,120,121,122].”

    From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [122]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) describes oxytocin’s role in male sexual function, including libido, erection and ejaculation, and says the spinal nuclei controlling erection and ejaculation are androgen-dependent. The Methods (page unavailable) use estradiol and progesterone to induce receptivity in stimulus females. These passages support parts of the broad claim, but the paper does not establish that dopamine or vasopressin regulate the appetitive and consummatory aspects of sex. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • In rats, OT release from neurons in the PVN facilitates male sexual activity and ejaculation as well as mating-induced anxiolysis.

    “In rats, OT release from neurons in the PVN facilitates male sexual activity and ejaculation as well as mating-induced anxiolysis [122,123].”

    From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [122]

    The Introduction describes PVN oxytocin neurons projecting to the spinal cord and controlling erection and ejaculation in male rats. The Results report that blocking spinal oxytocin receptors reduced intromissions and ejaculations. Our copy does not report mating-induced anxiolysis; searches for anxiolysis, anxiety, and reduced anxiety after mating found no relevant passage. Page numbers were not available. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Authors
Oti, T., Satoh, K., Uta, D., Nagafuchi, J., Tateishi, S., Ueda, R., Takanami, K., Young, L. J., Galione, A., Morris, J. F., Sakamoto, T., & Sakamoto, H.
Affiliations
  • Okayama University (JP)
  • University of Toyama (JP)
  • National Institute of Genetics (JP)
  • University of Tsukuba (JP)
  • University of Oxford (GB)
Corresponding author
Sakamoto, Hirotaka
Venue
Current Biology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-01
Volume
31
Issue
1
Pages
103-114.e5
ISSN
0960-9822 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3096327674
Cited by
63
References
86
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 21 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 1
FWCI
12.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Current Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Okayama University Scientific Achievement Repository (Okayama University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
  • Foundation for the National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
Keywords
oxytocin, male sexual behavior, lumbar spinal cord, volume transmission, dense core vesicles, axonal varicosities, oxytocin receptor, paraventricular nucleus, erectile function, neurosecretion
MeSH terms
Animals, Axons, Diffusion, Ejaculation, Exocytosis, Female, Hypothalamus, Injections, Spinal, Lumbar Vertebrae, Male, Oxytocin, Penile Erection, Penis, Spinal Cord, Receptors, Oxytocin, Gastrin-Releasing Peptide, Rats, Rats, Transgenic, Heparin-binding EGF-like Growth Factor

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