PSY2004 W10 Reading

Question 1

What can lead to sexual dysfunction ?

Answer 1

Disruption of endocrine, neural, orvascular response, caused by aging, medical illness, neurological diseases, surgery, ordrugs, can lead to sexual dysfunctions, thus significantly affecting patients’ qualityof life.

Question 2

hat was the purpose of the paper?

Answer 2

his narrative review aims at characterizing the involvement of the centralnervous system in human sexual behavior

Question 3

What regulated sexual behaiours?

Answer 3

both subcortical structures, such as the hy‐pothalamus, brainstem, and spinal cord, and several cortical brain areas acting as anorchestra to finely adjust this primitive, complex, and versatile behavior.
At the cen‐tral level, dopaminergic and serotonergic systems appear to play a significant role invarious factors of sexual response, although adrenergic, cholinergic, and other neu‐ropeptide transmitter systems may contribute as well.

Question 4

What was the conclusion of the paper?

Answer 4

Providing healthcare professionals with information concerning sexualbehavior may overcome useless and sometimes dangerous barriers and improve pa‐tient management, since sexual well‐being is considered one of the most importantaspects of one’s quality of life.

Question 5

What are the brain areas involved in human sexual behaviour?

Answer 5

Reward system, thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, septal region, prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex and insula

Question 6

How does the reward system relate to se-related function?

Answer 6

Triggers sexual motivationMate choice

Question 7

How does the thalamus relate to se-related function?

Answer 7

Relays erotic stimuli incoming from the spinal cord

Question 8

How does the hypothalamus relate to se-related function?

Answer 8

Coordinates autonomic events in sexual behav‐ior Mate choiceMate choice

Question 9

How does the amygdala relate to se-related function?

Answer 9

Gives emotional significance to incoming eroticstimuliMate choiceModulates sexual drive

Question 10

How does the Septal region relate to se-related function?

Answer 10

Modulates sexual drive

Question 11

How does the Prefontral cortex relate to se-related function?

Answer 11

Blunts the initiation of sexual behaviorModulates sexual drive

Question 12

How does the cingulate cortex relate to se-related function?

Answer 12

processing sexual stimuli in conflictuary context. Modules sexual drive.

Question 13

How does the Insulin relate to se-related function?

Answer 13

Awareness of tumescence of erectile organsModulates sexual drive

Question 14

What is the associationsit thoery?

Answer 14

According to the recent associationist theory, the brainconsists of several, segregated and parallelly distributed networksaround critical and participating cortical epicenters that allow a good trade‐off between costand efficiency in information transferring.

Question 15

What did neuroimaging studied demonstrate?

Answer 15

uman sexualresponse involves a variety of cortical and subcortical brain areas,showing very similar activation patterns across gender and sexualpreferences

Question 16

What neurotrasmitters and modulators are involved in regulating human sexual behaviour?

Answer 16

Serotonin, doamine, norepinephirne, acetylcholine, histamin, opiods, sex hormones

Question 17

How does serotonin affect human sexual bhevaiour?

Answer 17

Mainly released by the neurons of the raphe nuclei, serotonin acts on the smooth muscles of the vascular system of thegenitals and other sexual organs to produce vasoconstriction and vasodilatation. At the central level, it instead has aninhibitory role on erectile function, lubrication, and sexual interest.

Question 18

How is dopamine involved in regulation of human sexual behavoiur?

Answer 18

Striatal dopamine is important for motor aspect of copulation, but not for sexual motivation. Depending on its concentra‐tion, dopamine in MPOA disinhibits genital reflexes (low levels), facilitates parasympathetically mediated erections andcopulatory behavior (moderate levels), and promotes sympathetically mediated ejaculation but inhibits erections (highlevels).

Question 19

How are sex hormones involeved in regulating sexual behaiours?

In humans

Answer 19

Androgens play a key role in both stimulating and maintaining sexual function in man, being critical for penile tissue devel‐opment, growth, and maintenance of erectile function.Estradiol is responsible for the behavioral development of male mammals, acting either by increasing or decreasing male‐typical behaviors. In addition, sexual hormones seem to play an important role in sexual arousal by ensuring cerebralintegration between somatic and autonomic sexual systems. Finally, prolactin provides the body with sexual gratificationafter sexual acts, although high blood levels of prolactin are likely to produce impotence and loss of libido.

Question 20

How are acetylcholine involved in regulating human sexual behaviour?

Answer 20

It is implicated in penile erection, and it has been shown to be useful in reversing antidepressant‐induced erectile andejaculation difficulties.

Question 21

How is Histamien involved in regulating human sexual behaviour?

Answer 21

At the peripheral level, histamine leads to the full or partial erection via the activation of H2 and H3 receptors. At thecentral level, it instead modulates sexual behavior and libido.

Question 22

How are opiods involved in rgulating human sexual behaviour?

Answer 22

The tight interplay between opioids and hormones such as LH and testosterone consequently leads to sexual impairment.In particular, increased activity of the opioids, paralleled by a reduction of the levels of LH and testosterone, causes lossof libido, erectile dysfunction, and inability to reach orgasm.

Question 23

How is norepinephrine involved in regualting huamn sexual behavour?

Answer 23

It stimulates penile erection via autonomic activation and can reverse the sexual inhibition that follows sexual exhaustion,thus being useful in the treatment of erectile dysfunction and anorgasmia.