A neural network responsible for male libido has been found in the brains of mice
Neuroscientists have identified the area of the brain that is responsible for sexual arousal and subsequent satisfaction in males. The study is published in the journal Cell.Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a neural network in male mice that is activated in the presence of a female. This area of the brain stimulates sexual arousal, triggers sexual activity and controls the pleasure of mating. The discovery will help in the treatment of libido disorders in males.
Neuroscientists used mapping of brain neuron activity to observe the changes that occur when a sexually mature male mouse meets an unfamiliar female. To rule out outside influences on brain activity, the scientists picked adult virgin experimental animals three or four weeks old that had not seen females since weaning.
The analysis showed that when a male and female meet, the production of substance P is activated in the neurons of the nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) - part of the nerve bundle linking the amygdala to the thalamus. This neuropeptide, via the optic hypothalamus, stimulates lower brain centers that are responsible for motor activity and pleasure.
To confirm the connection of the found brain region to libido, the researchers artificially stimulated BNST neurons with Substance P. Males recovered sexual activity one second after ejaculation and mated again. Normally in mice, the refractory period - the time it takes to recover sexual activity after ejaculation - is five days.
The researchers believe that this mechanism is universal in mammals; similar neurons should also exist in the human hypothalamus. "If these centers exist in humans - and we now know where to look - we can create small molecules to regulate this network," says Nirao Shah, co-author of the study.
Unlike existing drugs to treat erectile dysfunction and libido disorders in men, such a substance would not affect blood vessels in different parts of the body, but only the area of the brain that controls libido.