Login to Access Video or Poster Abstract: MP81-12
Sources of Funding: none

Introduction

In a mouse model a positive correlation between occluded and thus congested seminal vesicles and sexual activity has been suggested. No study so far has compared the neural processing of visual sexual stimuli in men as a consequence of the filling state of the seminal vesicles. The objective was to evaluate potential specific cortical activation by visual sexual stimuli in young healthy men with distended and voided seminal vesicles.

Methods

6 healthy heterosexual men were included and underwent 2 visits on 2 consecutive days (day 1 and day 2). Ethical Committee approval has been obtained. Both visits took place between 8 and 11 a.m. Before first visit no ejaculation for 3 to 5 days was requested. On both visits hormone analyses (Testosterone, SHBG, Prolactin, Serotonin, TSH), Derogatis Interview for Sexual Functioning (DISF) questionnaire, functional MRI (fMRI), and structural pelvic MRI were performed. During fMRI, subjects viewed alternating blocks of sexual, neutral, positive, and negative emotional pictures. Pictures were presented in 16 blocks in a pseudo-randomized order. One block consisted of 8 pictures, each picture was showed for 3 s resulting in a 6.4 min long fMRI. After each fMRI, subjects had to rate their arousal from 1 (none) to 10 (maximum). After first visit, subjects had to void seminal vesicles by masturbation between 6 and 9 p.m. for re-evaluation the next day.

Results

Median age was 26 years (range 24-29). Between day 1 and day 2, hormone analyses (all pairwise comparisons p>0.36), DISF questionnaire score (p=0.14), and arousal scoring between fMRI sessions (p=0.61) showed no significant differences. Seminal vesicles volume was significantly lower at day 2 (p=0.003). Significant higher activation was detected in the right precentral gyrus and middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann area (BA) 6) and left cuneus (BA 18, 19) when contrasted for sexual over neutral pictures (p<0.001 at voxel level, family-wise error corrected (p<0.05) at cluster level) at day 1 with full seminal vesicles compared to day 2 with voided seminal vesicles.

Conclusions

In response to sexual pictures a significant higher activation was detected in brain areas involved in motor preparation (arousal) and visual association areas at day 1 with distended seminal vesicles compared to day 2 with voided seminal vesicles. This suggests that the filling state of the seminal vesicles may have an influence on the brain activation and sexual desire in men.

Funding

none