Studies on the
characteristics of individuals with hypersexual disorder have been accumulating
due to increasing concerns about problematic hypersexual behavior (PHB).
Currently, relatively little is known about the underlying behavioral and
neural mechanisms of sexual desire.
Our study aimed to investigate the neural
correlates of sexual desire with event-related functional magnetic resonance
imaging (fMRI). Twenty-three individuals with PHB and 22 age-matched healthy
controls were scanned while they passively viewed sexual and nonsexual stimuli.
The subjects' levels of sexual desire were assessed in response to each sexual
stimulus. Relative to controls, individuals with PHB experienced more frequent
and enhanced sexual desire during exposure to sexual stimuli. Greater
activation was observed in the caudate nucleus, inferior parietal lobe, dorsal
anterior cingulate gyrus, thalamus, and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in the
PHB group than in the control group. In addition, the hemodynamic patterns in
the activated areas differed between the groups.
Consistent with the findings
of brain imaging studies of substance and behavior addiction, individuals with
the behavioral characteristics of PHB and enhanced desire exhibited altered
activation in the prefrontal cortex and subcortical regions. In conclusion, our
results will help to characterize the behaviors and associated neural
mechanisms of individuals with PHB.
Below: The event-related paradigm for sexual desire
Full article at: http://goo.gl/PwQk0O
By:
Department of
Psychology, Brain Research Institute, Chungnam National University, Daejeon,
South Korea
Edited by: Morten L. Kringelbach, University of Oxford, UK
and University of Aarhus, Denmark, UK
Reviewed by: Matthias Brand, University Duisburg-Essen,
Germany; Janniko Georgiadis, University Medical Center Groningen, Netherlands
*Correspondence: Jin-Hun Sohn ; Email: rk.ca.unc@nhoshj
More at: https://twitter.com/hiv_insight
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