Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Animal models of premature and retarded ejaculation

  • Topic Paper
  • Published:
World Journal of Urology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Most of our current understanding of the neurobiology of sexual behavior and ejaculatory function has been derived from animal studies using rats with normal sexual behaviour. However, none of these proposed models adequately represents human ejaculatory disorders. Based on the “ejaculation distribution theory”, which postulates that the intravaginal ejaculation latency time in men is represented by a biological continuum, we have developed an animal model for the research of premature and delayed ejaculation. In this model, a large number of male Wistar rats are investigated during 4–6 weekly sexual behavioural tests. Based on the number of ejaculations during 30 min tests, rapid and sluggish ejaculating rats are distinguished, each representing approximately 10% at both ends of a Gaussian distribution. Together with other parameters, such as ejaculation latency time, these rats at either side of the spectrum resemble men with premature and delayed ejaculation, respectively. Comparable to the human situation, in a normal population of rats, endophenotypes exist with regard to basal sexual (ejaculatory) performance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rosen RC, Lane RM, Menza M (1999) Effects of SSRIs on sexual function: a critical review. J Clin Psychopharmacol 19: 67

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Waldinger MD, Hengeveld MW, Zwinderman AH (1994) Paroxetine treatment of premature ejaculation: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study. Am J Psychiatry 151: 1377

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Mendels J, Camera A, Sikes C (1995) Sertraline treatment for premature ejaculation. J Clin Psychopharmacol 15: 341

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Kara H, Aydin S, Agargun Y, Odabas O, Yilmiz Y (1996) The efficacy of fluoxetine in the treatment of premature ejaculation: a double-blind, placebo controlled study. J Urol 156: 1631

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Waldinger MD, Zwinderman AH, Schweitzer DH, Olivier B (2004) Relevance of methodological design for the interpretation of efficacy of drug treatment of premature ejaculation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Impotence Res 16: 369

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Larsson K, Ahlenius S (1999) Brain and sexual behavior. Ann N Y Acad Sci 877: 292

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Pfaus JG (1999) Neurobiology of sexual behavior. Curr Opin Neurobiol 9: 751

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Pfaus JG, Heeb MM (1997) Implications of immediate-early gene induction in the brain following sexual stimulation of female and male rodents. Brain Res Bull 44: 397

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Veening JG, Coolen LM (1998) Neural activation following sexual behavior in the male and female rat brain. Behav Brain Res 92: 181

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Truitt WA, Coolen LM (2002) Identification of a potential ejaculation generator in the spinal cord. Science 297: 1566

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Truitt WA, Shipley MT, Veening JG, Coolen LM (2003) Activation of a subset of lumbar spinothalamic neurons after copulatory behavior in male but not female rats. J Neurosci 23: 325

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Mos J, Mollet I, Tolboom JTBM, Waldinger MD, Olivier B (1999) A comparison of the effects of different serotonin reuptake blockers on sexual behaviour of the male rat. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 9: 123

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Ahlenius S, Larsson K (1999) Synergistic actions of the 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-100635 and citalopram on male rat ejaculatory behavior. Eur J Pharmacol 379: 1

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Matuszcyk JV, Larsson K, Eriksson E (1998) The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine reduces sexual motivation in male rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 60: 527

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Cantor J, Binik I, Pfaus JG (1999) Chronic fluoxetine inhibits sexual behavior in the male rat: reversal with oxytocin. Psychopharmacology 144: 355

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Frank JL, Hendricks SE, Olson CH (2000) Multiple ejaculations and chronic fluoxetine: effects on male rat copulatory behavior. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 66: 337

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Waldinger MD, Plas A vd, Pattij T, Oorschot R v, Coolen LM, Veening JG, Olivier B (2002) The selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors fluvoxamine and paroxetine differ in sexual inhibitory effects after chronic treatment. Psychopharmacology 160: 283

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Waldinger MD, Schweitzer DH, Olivier B (2005) On-demand SSRI treatment of premature ejaculation: pharmacodynamic limitations for relevant ejaculation delay and consequent solutions. J Sex Med 2: 121

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Bitran D, Hull EM (1987) Pharmacological analysis of male rat sexual behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 11: 365

    Google Scholar 

  20. Argiolas A (1999) Neuropeptides and sexual behaviour. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 23: 1127

    Google Scholar 

  21. Ahlenius S, Larsson K (1990) In: Rodgers RJ, Cooper SJ (eds) 5-HT1A Agonists, 5-HT3 antagonists and benzodiazepines: their comparative behavioural pharmacology. John Wiley, Chichester, p 281

  22. Mos J, Olivier B, Bloetjes K, Poth M (1990) In: Slob AK, Baum MJ (eds) Psychoneuroendocrinology of growth and development. Medicom Publishers, Rotterdam, p 221

  23. Andersson G, Larsson K (1994) Effects of FG-5893, a new compound with 5-HT1A receptor agonistic and 5-HT2 antagonistic properties, on male-rat sexual-behavior. Eur J Pharmacol 255: 131

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Haensel SM, Slob AK (1997) Flesinoxan: a prosexual drug for male rats. Eur J Pharmacol 330: 1

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Ferrari F, Giuliani D (1994) The selective D-2 dopamine-receptor antagonist eticlopride counteracts the ejaculatio-praecox induced by the selective D-2-dopamine agonist SND-919 in the rat. Life Sci 55: 1155

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Barfield RJ, Sachs BD (1968) Sexual behavior: stimulation by painful electrical shock to skin in male rats. Science 161: 392

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Wang L, Hull EM (1980) Tail pinch induces sexual behavior in olfactory bulbectomized male rats. Physiol Behav 24: 211

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Leyton M, Stewart J (1996) Acute and repeated activation of male sexual behavior by tail pinch: opioid and dopaminergic mechanisms. Physiol Behav 60: 77

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Waldinger MD, Berendsen HHG, Blok BFM, Olivier B, Holstege G (1998) Premature ejaculation and SSRI-induced delayed ejaculation: the involvement of the serotonergic system. Behav Brain Res 92: 111

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Waldinger MD, Schweitzer DH (2005) Lifelong premature ejaculation: definition, serotonergic neurotransmission and drug treatment. World J Urol (this issue)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Waldinger MD, Quinn P, Dilleen M, Mundayat R, Schweitzer DH, Boolell M (2005) A multinational population survey of intravaginal ejaculation latency time. J Sex Med (in press)

  32. Waldinger MD, Zwinderman AH, Olivier B, Schweitzer DH (2005) Proposal for a definition of lifelong premature ejaculation based on epidemiological stopwatch data. J Sex Med (in press)

  33. Olivier B, Chan J, Pattij T, De Jong T, Oosting R, Veening J, Waldinger MD (2005) Psychopharmacology of male rat sexual behavior: modeling human sexual dysfunctions? Int J Impot Res (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Pattij T, De Jong T, Uitterdijk A, Waldinger MD, Veening JG, Van der Graaf PH, Olivier B (2005) Searching for models to study ejaculation disorders. Eur J Neurosci (in press)

  35. Rowland DL (1998) Penile sensitivity in men: a composite of recent findings. Urology 52: 1101

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Agmo A (1999) Sexual motivation—an inquiry into events determining the occurrence of sexual behavior. Behav Brain Res 105: 129

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Neurosexology, Leyenburg Haga Hospital, Leyweg 275, 2545 CH The Hague, The Netherlands

    Marcel D. Waldinger

  2. Department of Psychopharmacology, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences and Rudolf Magnus Institute for Neurosciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Marcel D. Waldinger & Berend Olivier

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Berend Olivier

Authors
  1. Marcel D. Waldinger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Berend Olivier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcel D. Waldinger.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Waldinger, M.D., Olivier, B. Animal models of premature and retarded ejaculation. World J Urol 23, 115–118 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-004-0493-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-004-0493-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation