In a mouse study, scientists identified a collection of neurons that regulate sexual behavior in males, and they think humans may have a similar circuit.
The switch is actually more of a circuit, consisting of a group of neurons that connects multiple regions of the brain. The newly identified circuit not only helps male mice recognize females but also controls their desire to have sex with them, complete the act itself and experience pleasure as a result, the study suggests.
"If these centers exist in humans — and now we know where to look — it should be possible to design small molecules that can be used to regulate these circuits," lead study author Nirao Shah, a professor of psychiatry and neurobiology at Stanford University, said in a statement. In the new study, researchers looked at the brains of adult virgin male mice who hadn't seen a female mouse since they were weaned.
When the researchers stimulated these BNST neurons in male lab mice, the rodents' POA neurons became increasingly more active and they began having sex with the female mice after a 10-to-15-minute delay. Directly supplying substance P to the mice's POA caused their sex drive to increase so much that they attempted to mate with inanimate objects.
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