Lordosis behavior

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the animal sexual posture. For the human spinal shape and disorders thereof, see Lordosis.
Lordosis behavior seen in different mammals. Clockwise from top left: cats, hamsters, elephants, and eastern gray squirrels.
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Lordosis behavior (

dorsoventrally
so that its apex points towards the abdomen.

Description

Lordosis is a reflex action that causes many non-primate female mammals to adopt a body position that is often crucial to reproductive behavior. The posture moves the

copulatory
behavior. [2]

Neurobiology

The lordosis

fertilization
.

When a male mammal mounts the female, tactile stimuli on the flanks, the perineum and the rump of the female are transmitted via the sensory nerves in the spinal cord. In the spinal cord and lower brainstem, they are integrated with the information coming from the brain, and then, in general, a nerve impulse is transmitted to the muscles via the motor nerves. The contraction of the longissimus and transverso-spinalis muscles causes the ventral arching of the vertebral column.[3]

Hormonal and cerebral regulation

Sexual behaviour is optimized for reproduction, and the

reticulospinal tract and synapse with the neurobiological circuits of the lordosis reflex in the spinal cord
(L1–L6). These neurobiological processes induced by estradiol enable the tactile stimuli to trigger lordosis.

The mechanisms of regulation of this estrogen-dependent lordosis reflex have been identified through different types of experiments. When the VMN is lesioned lordosis is abolished; this suggests the importance of this cerebral structure in the regulation of lordosis. Concerning hormones, displays of lordosis can be affected by ovariectomy, injections of estradiol benzoate and progesterone,[8] or exposure to stress during puberty.[9][10] Specifically, stress can suppress the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis and therefore decrease concentrations of gonadal hormones. Consequently, these reductions in exposure to gonadal hormones around puberty can result in decreases in sexual behavior in adulthood, including displays of lordosis.[9]

In humans

Lordosis behavior is non-functional in humans, although lordosis-like positions can be observed in those being mounted from behind.[11]

In a 2017 study, using 3D models and eye-tracking technology it is shown that the slight thrusting out of a woman's hips influences how attractive others perceive her to be and captures the gaze of both men and women.

high-heeled footwear the buttocks thrusts out and the back arches into a pose that simulates lordosis behavior, which is why high heels are considered "sexy".[14] Nonetheless, recent evidence has extended the effect of lordosis pose beyond a standing posture and high-heels, as it is indicated a sexual receptivity signal in other than standing postures of quadruped and supine in women.[15][16] In a 2022 study, researchers found that women perceive other women exhibiting this posture as a potential threat to their romantic relationship.[16][17]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "lordosis". The American Heritage Dictionary. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 3, 2017.
  2. ^ "Female Cat in Heat". Pet Informed. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b Pfaff D. W. , Schwartz-Giblin S., Maccarthy M. M., Kow L-M (1994). "Cellular and molecular mechanisms of female reproductive behaviors", in Knobil E., Neill J. D. The physiology of reproduction, Raven Press, 2nd edition.
  4. PMID 17498546. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  5. PMID 21338620
    .
  6. ^ Plant T., Zeleznik A. (Eds). Knobil and Neill's Physiology of Reproduction. Academic Press, 4th edition, 2015
  7. S2CID 28276218
    .
  8. S2CID 26078948
    .
  9. ^
    PMID 25324747
    .
  10. PMID 10992252
    .
  11. ^ Pfaus, J. G.; Flanagan-Cato, L. M.; Blaustein, J. D. "Female sexual behavior". in Plant T., Zeleznik A. (Eds). Knobil and Neill's Physiology of Reproduction. Academic Press, 4th edition, 2015
  12. ^ Elizabeth Hawkins (October 25, 2017). "Why arched backs are attractive". springer.com.
  13. S2CID 149046079
    .
  14. ^ Laura T. Coffey (Sep 23, 2009). "Do high heels empower or oppress women?". TODAY. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  15. S2CID 257540903
    .
  16. ^
    doi:10.3390/sexes3010005
    .
  17. ^ Dolan, Eric W. (2023-05-04). "Women's lordotic posture can trigger feelings of competition and threat among other women, study suggests". Psypost - Psychology News. Retrieved 2023-05-04.
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