The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine reduces sexual motivation in male rats

A male rat put in an open-field arena in which it is free to spend time in the vicinity of-but not in contact with-an estrous female, or in the vicinity of a male, usually spends more time with the female than with the male or elsewhere. Tentatively, the percentage of time spent in the vicinity of the female in this paradigm may be regarded as a measure of sexual motivation. In humans, treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may cause reduced libido. To investigate to what extent serotonin reuptake inhibition influences sexual motivation also in rats, we have tested the effect of subchronic treatment with fluoxetine on the behavior in the sexual motivation test described above; in addition, the effect of fluoxetine on male copulatory behavior was studied. Fluoxetine significantly reduced sexual motivation at subchronic but not at acute administration; moreover, fluoxetine-treated rats displayed an increased ejaculation latency. It is concluded that humans and rats respond similarly to the SSRI fluoxetine with respect to various aspects of sexual behavior. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Inc.