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Cholinergic facilitation of erection and ejaculation in spinal cord-transected rats

Abstract

Penile reflexes (PRs) were monitored in chronic spinal cord-transected rats by identifying them visually, and at the same time they were recorded as the electromyographic activity of bulbospongiosus muscles. Intraperitoneal injection of the agonist muscarine (10 μg) produced a facilitation of PRs. A decrease in the latency, an increase in the number of clusters and often an increase in the duration of cups were found after muscarine. In addition, 66% (six out of nine) of the animals ejaculated after muscarine. These results suggest that cholinergic receptor stimulation may be involved in erectile and ejaculatory mechanisms mediated by the spinal cord.

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Correspondence to R Cueva-Rolón.

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Vargas, V., Torres, D., Corona, F. et al. Cholinergic facilitation of erection and ejaculation in spinal cord-transected rats. Int J Impot Res 16, 86–90 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901169

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