workshop: Our sexual brain

Reigning theories about how the brain governs sexual behavior are the product of experimental investigations and observations in rodents (rats, hamsters, and the likes). However, there is a growing appreciation of the fact that these rodent models can not account for the sheer complexity, especially in the psychological domain, of a human sexual response. Eight years ago a research project started at the University Medical Center Groningen to systematically investigate the neurobiology of sexual behavior in human subjects. This coincided with the growing use and applicability of positron emission tomography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), techniques that enable in vivo visualization of human brain responses (neuroimaging). The project is being carried out in three phases: (1) mapping the healthy sexual brain in men and women, (2) identifying neuronal mechanisms underlying sexual dysfunction, and (3) developing methods for neuro-intervention.

Meanwhile the first phase is almost finished. In this workshop I will first present a series of  groundbreaking PET experiments, designed to investigate brain activity during orgasm and the preceding phase of sexual genital stimulation. I will also zoom in on interesting gender differences and commonalities! The second part of the workshop will be dedicated to recent fMRI experiments designed to uncover the neurobiology of the male post-orgasmic phase. In particular, I will shed some light on brain mechanisms that may be responsible for the sudden change from an active state of intense sexual arousal to a passive state of sexual satiety. During the workshop, participants are encouraged to think about issues like moral/ethical aspects and possible future research directions.