Male fruit flies enjoy ejaculation

Moody red lighting in a lab is helping researchers figure out what fruit flies like best about sex.The question has arisen as scientists try to tease out the neurobiological steps in how the brain’s natural reward system can get hijacked in alcoholism, says neuroscientist Galit Shohat-Ophir of Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel.

Male fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) were genetically engineered to ejaculate when exposed to a red light. Ejaculation increased signs in the insects’ brains of a rewarding experience and decreased the lure of alcohol, researchers found. After several days in this red-light district, the flies tended to prefer a plain sugary beverage over one spiked with ethanol. Males not exposed to the red light went for the boozier drink, Shohat-Ophir and colleagues report April 19 in Current Biology.

Earlier lab research has shown that male flies repeatedly rejected by females are more likely to get drunk. Those with happy fly sex lives don’t show much interest in alcohol. Shohat-Ophir wondered what aspect of sex, or lack thereof, had such a profound effect on the brain’s reward system.

The answer wasn’t that obvious. In rats, for instance, the brains of first-timer males light up with intense biochemical signs of reward just from rodent intercourse, regardless of whether ejaculation occurs. In female rats, copulation needs the right circumstances to evoke reward chemistry.

桑拿论坛夜上海

The red-light system let researchers remove the possibly confounding factor of female presence and see that male flies find ejaculation itself rewarding. (Among the evidence: pairing the red light with an odor cue, which males eagerly sought out afterward.) The red light triggers what are called Crz nerve cells in the abdomen, which cause sperm release and a surge of neuropeptide F, a cousin of a human brain reward compound called neuropeptide Y.

Male flies’ bedazzlement with the right light or drinking binges after rejection may be easy for humans to understand. Shohat-Ophir says that’s because brain reward chemistry is so ancient that parts of it have been inherited by creatures with six legs as well as two.

相关文章China’s agriculture ministry approves more varieties of genetically modified corn, soybeansChinas pilot projects on industrialization of genetically modified (GM) corn and soybeans have shown promising results in terms of increased production and reduced costs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) said on Tuesday. China launched the pilot projects in 2021, and by 2023, the projects expanded to cover 20 counties in five provinces […]

China’s state-owned assets regulator vows to increase tech investment in emerging industriesChina said it will increase investment on technological innovation to bolster strategic emerging industries, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) said on Wednesday, in a move to accelerate countrys technology advancement and foster new productive forces.  Zhuang Shuxin, a spokesperson for the SASAC, said on Wednesday that Chinas central […]

Mischief of slandering China’s economy will fail, as it should: SachsEditors Note: Despite facing a complex international situation and multiple headwinds, Chinas economy expanded by 5.2 percent in 2023, surpassing the target. However, a new wave of very negative narratives about Chinas economy has emerged in the Western media lately, attempting to undermine investors confidence in Chinas future. To counter Western medias malicious distortions that […]

Chinese stock markets stage miraculous turnaround, with Shanghai composite index up 0.43% on Thursday

Chinas stock markets staged a miraculous turnaround on Thursday, with the Shanghai Composite Stock Index regaining the psychologically important 2,800 points and closing at 2,845.78. Analysts said the market is expected to stabilize and return to normal operations along with the countrys sustained economic recovery, calling for stepped-up policy support to bolster the economy and […]