Weisstanner Christian, Pastore-Wapp Manuela, Schmitt Martin, Zehnder Pascal, Wiest Roland, Thalmann George N, Birkhäuser Frédéric D
Support Center for Advanced Imaging (SCAN), Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Department of Urology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.
Eur Urol Open Sci. 2022 Jun 14;42:10-16. doi: 10.1016/j.euros.2022.05.008. eCollection 2022 Aug.
Whether seminal vesicles play a role in sexual activity in men is unknown. No study so far has compared the neural processing of visual sexual stimuli in men depending on the filling state of the seminal vesicles.
To evaluate potential specific cortical activation by visual sexual stimuli with distended and empty seminal vesicles.
A prospective case-control trial was conducted. Six male individuals underwent two visits on 2 consecutive days for hormone analyses; Derogatis Interview for Sexual Functioning (DISF) questionnaire; functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with passively viewing sexual, neutral, positive, and negative emotional pictures; and structural pelvic MRI. After the first visit, the participants had to empty seminal vesicles by masturbation. During fMRI, every participant viewed alternating blocks of sexual, neutral, positive, and negative emotional pictures.
Comparisons between days 1 and 2 were evaluated using paired tests.
No significant differences were observed regarding hormone analyses, DISF questionnaire score, and arousal scoring between days 1 and 2. Seminal vesicle volume was significantly lower on day 2 ( = 0.003). Significantly higher activation was observed in the right precentral gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and right superior temporal sulcus when contrasted for sexual over neutral ( < 0.05).
In response to pictures with sexual emotional content, significantly higher activation was detected in brain areas involved in motor preparation (arousal) and coding of desirability of visual sexual stimuli in men with distended seminal vesicles than in the same men with emptied seminal vesicles. This suggests that the filling state of the seminal vesicles may influence sexual desire in men.
We compared brain activity of men with filled and emptied seminal vesicles by functional magnetic resonance imaging. We found that men with filled seminal vesicles had higher activation of brain areas involved in arousal and sexual desire.
精囊在男性性活动中是否发挥作用尚不清楚。迄今为止，尚无研究比较男性根据精囊充盈状态对视觉性刺激的神经处理过程。
评估精囊扩张和排空时视觉性刺激引起的潜在特定皮质激活。
设计、场所和参与者：进行了一项前瞻性病例对照试验。六名男性个体连续两天接受两次就诊，进行激素分析；性功能障碍Derogatis访谈（DISF）问卷；通过被动观看性、中性、积极和消极情绪图片进行功能磁共振成像（fMRI）；以及盆腔结构MRI。在第一次就诊后，参与者必须通过手淫排空精囊。在fMRI期间，每位参与者观看性、中性、积极和消极情绪图片的交替组块。
使用配对t检验评估第1天和第2天之间的差异。
第1天和第2天在激素分析、DISF问卷评分和唤醒评分方面未观察到显著差异。第2天精囊体积显著降低（P = 0.003）。与中性图片相比，性图片刺激时，右侧中央前回、额中回和右侧颞上沟的激活明显更高（P < 0.05）。
对于带有性情绪内容的图片，精囊扩张的男性与精囊排空的同一男性相比，在参与运动准备（唤醒）和视觉性刺激欲望编码的脑区检测到明显更高的激活。这表明精囊的充盈状态可能会影响男性的性欲。
我们通过功能磁共振成像比较了精囊充盈和排空的男性的大脑活动。我们发现精囊充盈的男性在参与唤醒和性欲的脑区有更高的激活。
