Excitotoxic lesions of the nucleus paragigantocellularis facilitate male sexual behavior but attenuate female sexual behavior in rats

▶Neurotoxic lesions of the nucleus paragigantocellularis (nPGi) facilitated copulation, supporting the hypothesis that the nucleus paragigantocellularis, and not fibers-of-passage, provide tonic inhibitory drive to genital reflexes. ▶Neurotoxic lesions of the nPGi in females significantly decreased time spent mating with stimulus males, and attenuated the development of a conditioned place preference for sexual behavior. ▶While nPGi lesions in males facilitate copulation, such lesions in females attenuate several aspects of sexual behavior resulting in a reduction in the rewarding value of copulation that may be mediated by nPGi control of genital reflexes.