Effects of chronic activity wheel running and imipramine on masculine copulatory behavior after olfactory bulbectomy

We examined the effects of chronic activity wheel running and imipramine administration on appetitive behavior after olfactory bulbectomy (OBX). Male Long-Evans rats were randomly assigned to the following conditions using a 2×2×2 design: (1) bilateral OBX or sham surgery, (2) voluntary activity wheel running or sedentary home cage, and (3) daily imipramine or saline injections. After 21 days of treatment, animals underwent behavioral testing for copulatory activity and sucrose preference. Bulbectomized animals exhibited decrements in copulatory performance and reductions in sucrose intake compared to sham animals. Within the bulbectomized groups, imipramine-treated rats either did not copulate or had reduced ejaculation frequencies. However, activity wheel running attenuated the copulatory deficits induced by OBX. The findings encourage studies of physical activity and male sexual dysfunction among depressed men being treated by pharmacotherapy.