Brain processing of visual sexual stimuli in healthy men: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Mouras, Harold; Stoléru, Serge; Bittoun, J.; Glutron, Dominique; Pélégrini‐Issac, Mélanie; Paradis, Anne‐Lise; Burnod, Yves

doi:10.1016/s1053-8119(03)00408-7

Cited by 184 publications

(127 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…In addition, the methodology used in this study to measure binding potential changes in dopaminergic systems during cocaine craving may prove useful in investigations of other motivational states linked to dopamine, including reward associated with addiction to drugs (Wexler et al, 2001), food (Wang et al, 2001(Wang et al, , 2002Wise, 2004), sex (Bocher et al, 2001;Mouras et al, 2003;Redouté et al, 2000), alcohol Heinz et al, 2004), and gambling (Hollander et al, 2005;Reuter et al, 2005;Crockford et al, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased Occupancy of Dopamine Receptors in Human Striatum during Cue-Elicited Cocaine Craving

Wong

Kuwabara

Schretlen

et al. 2006

Neuropsychopharmacol

272

214

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In all, 19 research subjects, with current histories of frequent cocaine use, were exposed to cocaine-related cues to elicit drug craving. We measured the change of occupancy of dopamine at D2-like receptors with positron emission tomography (PET) and inferred a change of intrasynaptic dopamine (endogenous dopamine release), based on the displacement of radiotracer [11 C]raclopride. Receptor occupancy by dopamine increased significantly in putamen of participants who reported cue-elicited craving compared to those who did not. Further, the intensity of craving was positively correlated with the increase in dopamine receptor occupancy in the putamen. These results provide direct evidence that occupancy of dopamine receptors in human dorsal striatum increased in proportion to subjective craving, presumably because of increased release of intrasynaptic dopamine.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased Occupancy of Dopamine Receptors in Human Striatum during Cue-Elicited Cocaine Craving

Wong

Kuwabara

Schretlen

et al. 2006

Neuropsychopharmacol

272

214

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For example, erotic stimuli elicit neuronal activities in brain areas commonly associated with the human reward system (e.g., Ishai, 2007;Karama et al, 2002;Mouras et al, 2003;Ponseti et al, 2006;Redouté et al, 2000;Safron et al, 2007;Stoléru et al, 1999). Visual stimuli of sexually attractive targets may also trigger schematic processes (e.g., evaluative, comparative, or associative processes, episodic memories, fantasizing).…”

Section: Stimulus-specific Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vicarious Viewing Time: Prolonged Response Latencies for Sexually Attractive Targets as a Function of Task- or Stimulus-Specific Processing

et al. 2012

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The amount of time an individual spends gazing at images is longer if the depicted person is sexually appealing. Despite an increasing use of such response latencies as a diagnostic tool in applied forensic settings, the underlying processes that drive the seemingly robust effect of longer response latencies for sexually attractive targets remain unknown. In the current study, two alternative explanations are presented and tested using an adapted viewing time paradigm that disentangled task-and stimulus-specific processes. Hetero-and homosexual male participants were instructed to rate the sexual attractiveness of target persons differing in sex and sexual maturation from four experimentally assigned perspectives-heterosexual and homosexual perspectives for both sexes. This vicarious viewing time paradigm facilitated the estimation of the independent contributions of task (assigned perspective) and stimuli to viewing time effects.Results showed a large task-driven effect as well as a relatively smaller stimulus-based effect.This pattern suggests that, when viewing time measures are used for the assessment of sexual interest, it should be taken into consideration that response latency patterns can be biased by judging images from a selected perspective.

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“…This hypothesis is corroborated by neurophysiological evidence. Watching sexually attractive stimuli elicits neuronal activities in brain areas commonly associated with the human reward system (e.g., Ishai, 2007;Karama et al, 2002;Mouras et al, 2003;Ponseti et al, 2006;Redouté et al, 2000;Safron et al, 2007;Stoléru et al, 1999). Humans are assumed to be motivated by hedonism (e.g., Epstein, 1990) in that they try to reach and maintain positive affective states.…”

Section: Deliberate Delaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Viewing Time Effects Revisited: Prolonged Response Latencies for Sexually Attractive Targets Under Restricted Task Conditions

et al. 2010

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Sexually attractive stimuli are watched longer than unattractive stimuli. The processes underlying this robust and reliable viewing time effect are presently not well understood. In the present research comprising four experiments (total N = 250), four classes of potential explanations are proposed and the derived implications were experimentally tested. Contrary to explanations based on either deliberate delay or attentional adhesion to sexually attractive stimuli, prolonged response latencies were also found under restricted task conditions. Sexually preferred targets elicited longer response latencies in a self-paced evaluation task when stimulus pictures were presented for 750 ms (Exp. 1) or for 500 ms and followed by a pattern mask (Exp.2). Prolonged latencies for sexually preferred targets were also observed when sexual attractiveness was rated in a speeded binary decision task with a response window of 1000 ms (Exp. 3). Eventually, it was shown that the response latency effect in the speeded binary choice task was still preserved when only the heads of target individuals were presented instead of the bodies (Exp. 4). Mate identification and schematic processes are discussed as the remaining plausible mechanisms for prolonged response latencies for sexually attractive targets under restricted conditions.

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Brain processing of visual sexual stimuli in healthy men: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Cited by 184 publications

References 49 publications

Increased Occupancy of Dopamine Receptors in Human Striatum during Cue-Elicited Cocaine Craving

Increased Occupancy of Dopamine Receptors in Human Striatum during Cue-Elicited Cocaine Craving

Vicarious Viewing Time: Prolonged Response Latencies for Sexually Attractive Targets as a Function of Task- or Stimulus-Specific Processing

Viewing Time Effects Revisited: Prolonged Response Latencies for Sexually Attractive Targets Under Restricted Task Conditions

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