Sexual Behavior: Extreme Reduction of Postejaculatory Refractory Period by Midbrain Lesions in Male Rats

The refractory period that characteristically follows ejaculation was abolished or significantly reduced by rostral midbrain lesions in male rats. The postejaculatory vocalization was also abolished or reduced, but other aspects of copulatory performance were unaffected. The results were attributed to disruption of biogenic amine pathways that pass from the ventral part of the rostral midbrain into the posterior hypothalamus.