One brain circuit may regulate male sexual urges, according to a recent mouse study. Researchers found a mouse brain region that controls sexual desire, pleasure, mating, and attractiveness.

This study may affect the understanding of sexual behavior, leading to the development of libido and sexual desire treatments.

The research was headed by Stanford University School of Medicine psychiatry and neuroscience professor Nirao Shah, US News reported. He clarified that the preoptic area of the hypothalamus (POA), a part of the brain, analyzes sensory data from the environment to ascertain the sex of possible mates. The urge to mate is subsequently sparked by this acknowledgment, which also starts the behavior's enjoyable component.

Shah pointed out that while the research was done on mice, comparable brain areas may exist in other species, such as humans. The purpose of these brain regions in humans is still unknown, but the research provides fascinating new information about the intricate processes that underpin sexual behavior.

What Did The Researchers Find Out?

The study team carefully mapped the brain cells and connections that comprise the POA circuit via their tests. They found that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a particular group of neurons in the amygdala, is essential for signal transmission to the POA. Substance P, a slow-acting signaling protein, is secreted in response to these signals.

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The POA neurons were more active when the BNST neurons produced substance P and interacted with them. The male mice eventually displayed a series of mating behaviors, including mounting, penetration, and ejaculation, resulting from increased activity. Substance P increases the POA neurons' sensitivity, increasing their receptivity to stimulus.

Promising Results

Additional tests showed that Substance P administered directly to the POA area enhanced male mouse mating behavior. Astonishingly, the stimulus even prompted mating with inanimate things, per IFL Science. Additionally, the scientists discovered that turning on the POA circuit significantly shortened the time male mice needed to restart sexual behavior after ejaculation.

However, regardless of favorable circumstances, blocking the POA circuit stopped male mice from feeling the need to mate.

Researchers are investigating if female mice have neurological links to male sexual behavior. This study might lead to new sexual desire therapies for men and women, according to Stanford Medicine News Center.

Columbia, Stanford, and the Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics collaborated.

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