Editorial: Sexual Behavior as a Model for the Study of Motivational Drive and Related Behaviors

Sex is a strong, primary natural reinforcer, with a pervasive role in the life of animals and human beings. However, sexual motivation differs from other classes of motivators, i.e. thirst and hungry, being necessary for the preservation of species but not for the survival of individuals. The study of the neurobiological underpinnings of sexual behavior may provide useful information about the mechanisms underlying its motivational determinants and, in more general terms, about the neural correlates of motivation, whose processes are dysfunctional in many psychopathological conditions including major depression and addiction. Sexual behavior and its motivational determinants could therefore serve as a general model for investigating physiological and pathological motivated behaviors, with the ultimate goal to identify new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of psychogenic sexual dysfunctions and psychopathological conditions characterized by altered motivation and dysfunctional related behaviors.