AUTHOR=Inoue Sayaka TITLE=Hormonal and circuit mechanisms controlling female sexual behavior JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neural Circuits VOLUME=18 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neural-circuits/articles/10.3389/fncir.2024.1409349 DOI=10.3389/fncir.2024.1409349 ISSN=1662-5110 ABSTRACT=

Sexual behavior is crucial for reproduction in many animals. In many vertebrates, females exhibit sexual behavior only during a brief period surrounding ovulation. Over the decades, studies have identified the roles of ovarian sex hormones, which peak in levels around the time of ovulation, and the critical brain regions involved in the regulation of female sexual behavior. Modern technical innovations have enabled a deeper understanding of the neural circuit mechanisms controlling this behavior. In this review, I summarize our current knowledge and discuss the neural circuit mechanisms by which female sexual behavior occurs in association with the ovulatory phase of their cycle.