A male rat with lesions in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus is unable to engage in sexual behavior. However, the rat still actively seeks access to a sexually receptive female, demonstrating that the motivation to engage in sexual behavior remains intact despite the loss of physical capability.

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Despite losing the physical ability to engage in sex, male rats with lesions in the medial preoptic area remain highly motivated to seek out and expend effort to access sexually receptive females.

Medial Preoptic Area Lesions and Sexual Motivation

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Research on the medial preoptic area suggests that the physical ability to engage in sexual behavior and the underlying motivation to do so may be mediated by distinct and separate neural systems.

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