For those of us who are the dastardly lusty, beasty, raw-organ-eater types,
here's some "juicy" new research:
Love Liza
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[log in to unmask] (Liza May)
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Where to find lust on the mind map
FRENCH psychiatrists have pinpointed
the regions of men's brains that become active
during sexual arousal. This could lead to new
ways of treating sexual dysfunction, they say.
A team led by Serge Stoleru of the French
state research organisation, INSERM, asked
eight heterosexual men to watch sexually
explicit film clips (which according to Stoleru
were "tasteful with good actors"). As the men
watched the films, the researchers used PET
scans to monitor their brain activity, while
devices attached to the men's penises
measured the sizes of their erections.
The scans showed that three regions of the
brain became more active than usual during
sexual arousal. Both sides of the inferior
temporal cortex, which plays a role in vision,
became active. So too did the right-hand sides
of the insula and inferior frontal cortex,
thought to process visual information that
provokes some kind of voluntary physical
response.
The third area to respond to sexual stimuli was
the left anterior cingulate cortex, which is
known to control involuntary responses. The
team did not see any unusual activity in these
regions when the volunteers watched clips
from comedy or documentary-style
programmes.
The researchers think the findings could
eventually pave the way for new treatments
for sexual problems, by shedding light on the
mechanisms behind them. Stoleru, who is based
at the Bicetre Hospital in Paris, says, "We hope
this study will be an important reference
against which we can learn more about
sexuality."
Stoleru plans similar studies on lesbians,
heterosexual women and gay men, although he
adds: "The object of desire is probably not
important."
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