Restoration of sexual behavior and dopaminergic neurotransmission by long term exogenous testosterone replacement in aged male rats

PURPOSE: We investigated the effects of long-term testosterone replacement on copulatory behavior and dopaminergic neurotransmission in the medial preoptic area of aged male rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The rats were divided into 3 groups depending on testosterone replacement. Those in the long-term replacement group were castrated at the age of 12 months and received testosterone replacement thereafter for 12 months. In the short-term replacement group, rats were castrated at the age of 22 months and high or low dose testosterone replacement was done for 2 months. The control group consisted of aged rats 24 months old and young rats 12 weeks old, neither of which had been castrated or received testosterone replacement. We observed sexual behavior in rats of these groups. After a behavioral test, we measured the tissue concentration of dopamine in the MPOA and the change rate of the extracellular dopamine level induced by infusion of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) in the MPOA and compared the long-term replacement and no-replacement groups. RESULTS: The rats in the long-term replacement group showed a mount rate at the same level as that of young rats at 6 weeks after starting replacement and it was maintained to 24 months of age. Their mount rate was significantly higher than that of the rats with the short-term replacement. A significantly higher change rate of dopamine release was recognized in the long-term group; however, no significant difference in the concentration of dopamine was recognized between aged rats with long-term replacement and those without replacement. CONCLUSIONS: Aged rats (24 months old) with long-term testosterone replacement maintained almost the same level of mount behavior as young rats (12 weeks old). The results imply that long-term testosterone replacement may favorably alter the decline in the process of sexual activity with aging. The restoration by testosterone replacement of dopaminergic activity in the MPOA may be involved in the maintenance of sexual function in aged rats.