Department of Neuroscience/Section Anatomy, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Prog Neurobiol. 2012 Jul;98(1):49-81. doi: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2012.05.004. Epub 2012 May 15.
Sexual behavior is critical to species survival, yet comparatively little is known about the neural mechanisms in the human brain. Here we systematically review the existing human brain imaging literature on sexual behavior and show that the functional neuroanatomy of sexual behavior is comparable to that involved in processing other rewarding stimuli. Sexual behavior clearly follows the established principles and phases for wanting, liking and satiety involved in the pleasure cycle of other rewards. The studies have uncovered the brain networks involved in sexual wanting or motivation/anticipation, as well as sexual liking or arousal/consummation, while there is very little data on sexual satiety or post-orgasmic refractory period. Human sexual behavior also interacts with other pleasures, most notably social interaction and high arousal states. We discuss the changes in the underlying brain networks supporting sexual behavior in the context of the pleasure cycle, the changes to this cycle over the individual's life-time and the interactions between them. Overall, it is clear from the data that the functional neuroanatomy of sex is very similar to that of other pleasures and that it is unlikely that there is anything special about the brain mechanisms and networks underlying sex.
性行为对物种的生存至关重要，但人类大脑的神经机制却知之甚少。在这里，我们系统地回顾了现有的关于人类性行为的大脑成像文献，并表明性行为的功能神经解剖与处理其他奖励刺激的神经解剖相似。性行为显然遵循了其他奖励快感循环中涉及的想要、喜欢和满足的既定原则和阶段。这些研究揭示了涉及性行为想要或动机/预期的大脑网络，以及性行为喜欢或唤起/满足的大脑网络，而关于性行为满足或性高潮后不应期的数据则非常少。人类性行为还与其他快感相互作用，最显著的是社交互动和高度唤起状态。我们讨论了在快感循环的背景下，支持性行为的基础大脑网络的变化，个体一生中这种循环的变化，以及它们之间的相互作用。总的来说，从这些数据中可以清楚地看出，性的功能神经解剖与其他快感非常相似，而且支持性行为的大脑机制和网络不太可能有什么特别之处。
