Open AccessErectile dysfunction occurs following substantia nigra lesions in the rat
Author(s) -
AR Zahran,
N Simmerman,
Serge Carrier,
Pascal Vachon
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
international journal of impotence research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.508
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1476-5489
pISSN - 0955-9930
DOI - 10.1038/sj.ijir.3900712
Subject(s) - substantia nigra , medicine , apomorphine , erectile dysfunction , striatum , dopamine , midbrain , parkinson's disease , endocrinology , subthalamic nucleus , deep brain stimulation , central nervous system , dopaminergic , disease
Erectile function was assessed 6 weeks following uni- and bilateral injections of 6-hydroxydopamine in the substantia nigra nucleus of the brain. Behavioral apomorphine-induced penile erections were reduced (5/8) and increased (3/8) in uni- and bilateral lesioned animals. Intracavernous pressures, following electrical stimulation of the cavernous nerve, decreased in lesioned animals. Lesions of the substantia nigra were confirmed by histology. Concentration of dopamine and its metabolites were decreased in the striatum of substantia nigra lesioned rats. Lesions of the substantia nigra are therefore associated with erectile dysfunction in rats and may serve as a model to study erectile dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.