Lima, SusanaMendes, Ana Rita2025-04-092025-04-092024-12-062024-09-10http://hdl.handle.net/10362/181982"This monograph is composed of five Chapters. Chapter 1 consists of a general introduction, where the relevant literature for this project is discussed. We start by generally describing sexual behaviour importance in several areas and then evolve to describing copulation in mammals and rodents. We highlight the differences in the copulatory sequence between rats and mice and why these differences may readout in distinct neuronal pathways. We describe said neuronal circuits, spanning from the brain control of sexual behaviour to the spinal control of ejaculation and the seminal papers in the rat describing a spinal ejaculation generator composed by a group of Gal+ cells that control the BSM-MNs. We end by depicting the peripheral nervous system role in the control of the pelvic organs and how it impinges on the spinal circuit responsible for controlling ejaculation and sexual behaviour.(...)"engSpinal cordejaculationoptogeneticscircuit mappingelectrophysiologysexual behaviourbulbospongiosus muscledoctoral thesis101809026