The temporal copulatory patterns of female rat sexual behavior

Female sexual behavior is a naturally rewarding activity that plays an important role in reproduction and species survival. For female rats, regulating the timing of sexual interactions is essential for optimizing mating satisfaction and enhancing the physiological conditions needed for successful fertilization. So far, traditional research on female sexual behavior has relied on a limited set of behavioral parameters, which has certain shortcomings. To address this, our study aimed to develop a more detailed behavioral framework for assessing temporal copulatory patterns in female rats. We compared fully receptive females and less-receptive females, while also investigating the effects of (R)-(+)-8-OH-DPAT, a 5-HT_1A receptor agonist known for its inhibitory impact on female sexual behavior. Additionally, we examined how sexual experience and pacing conditions influence these copulatory patterns. Our results revealed that female rats engage in structured patterns of sexual bouts and time-outs, with higher receptivity leading to more sexual bouts and shorter time-outs. This suggests that sexual bouts can be viewed as an indicator of copulatory speed, while time-outs reflect motivation to continue mating. Sexual experience did not enhance sexual performance but did result in females receiving more copulatory events from males. Lastly, we found that the conditions under which mating occurs (paced vs. non-paced) may not significantly impact copulatory behavior in fully-receptive females, but could be more relevant for less-receptive females. Despite this, paced mating conditions remain preferable for studying female sexual behavior.