Role of amygdala in mediating sexual and emotional behavior via coupled nitric oxide release1

Abstract

Although the anatomical configuration of the amygdala has been studied a great deal, very little research has been conducted on understanding the precise mechanism by which this emotional regulatory center exerts its control on emotional and sexual behavior. By applying research methodology from the Neuroscience Research Institute, State University of New York, College at Old Westbury, we intended to demonstrate that much of the mediated effects of the amygdala, specifically the regulation of the male and female sexual response cycles, as well as related emotional considerations, exert their effects coupled to nitric oxide (NO) release. Furthermore, by using current anatomical and histological data, we demonstrated that amygdalar tissue rich in endocannabinoid and opiate, as well as catecholamine, receptors could exert its neurochemical effects within an NOmediated paradigm. This paradigm, together with the existence of estrogen and androgen signaling within the amygdala, further lends credence to our theoretical framework. We begin with a brief anatomical and functional review of amygdalar function, and then proceed to demonstrate its relationship with NO.

Raised nitric oxide levels may cause atonic postpartum hemorrhage in women with anemia during pregnancy

“…Many of the effects of the amygdala-the emotional regulatory center-are coupled to NO release [7]. Nitric oxide synthesis can be stimulated by hypoxia, changes in membrane potential, intracellular concentration of calcium ions, and changes in levels of acetylcholine and other endothelium-dependent vasodilators [8][9][10].…”

Unconventional Neurogenic Niches and Neurogenesis Modulation by Vitamins

“…It is composed of several neuronal nuclei establishing connections with different parts of the brain, including the cortex and hypothalamus [71]. It is involved in a variety of functions primarily associated with emotional behavior, such as fear, anxiety [72,73], pleasure [74], social interaction [75,76] and appetite [77]. Several studies have associated this structure in psychiatric and neurodevelopment disorders, including autism [76].…”

The neurobiological link between compassion and love

“…Within the context of varying stimuli evoking NO release, emotional stresses such as fear and anxiety can induce cardiovascular alterations, such as cardiac arrhythmia [43]. Cardiovascular events are initiated at the level of cingulated, amygdalar, and hypothalamic central nervous system (CNS) processes, as well as their projections into higher level cerebral cortex, further altering heart rate under stressful or sexually aroused conditions [47].…”

“…These include changes in cardiac autonomic tone, with a shift from the cardioprotective effects of parasympathetic predominance to massive cardiac sympathetic activation [49]. This autonomic component, carried out with parasympathetic and sympathetic preganglionic cells via subcortical nuclei from which descending central autonomic pathways arise, may, therefore, be a major pathway in how emotional states may affect cardiovascular function and health [41,43]. …”