title: Activation of neural pathways associated with sexual arousal in non-human primates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate brain activity associated with sexual arousal, fully conscious male marmoset monkeys were imaged during presentation of odors that naturally elicit high levels of sexual activity and sexual motivation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male monkeys were lightly anesthetized, secured in a head and body restrainer with a built-in birdcage resonator and positioned in a 9.4-Tesla spectrometer. When fully conscious, monkeys were presented with the odors of a novel receptive female or an ovariectomized monkey. Both odors were presented during an imaging trial and the presentation of odors was counterbalanced. Significant changes in both positive and negative BOLD signal were mapped and averaged.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Periovulatory odors significantly increased positive BOLD signal in several cortical areas: the striatum, hippocampus, septum, periaqueductal gray, and cerebellum, in comparison with odors from ovariectomized monkeys. Conversely, negative BOLD signal was significantly increased in the temporal cortex, cingulate cortex, putamen, hippocampus, substantia nigra, medial preoptic area, and cerebellum with presentation of odors from ovariectomized marmosets as compared to periovulatory odors. A common neural circuit comprising the temporal and cingulate cortices, putamen, hippocampus, medial preoptic area, and cerebellum shared both the positive BOLD response to periovulatory odors and the negative BOLD response to odors of ovariectomized females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest the odor-driven enhancement and suppression of sexual arousal affect neuronal activity in many of the same general brain areas. These areas included not only those associated with sexual activity, but also areas involved in emotional processing and reward.
authors.affiliation: Center for Comparative Neuroimaging, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655, USA. craig.ferris@umassmed.edu
authors.forename: Craig F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Ferris
authors.forename: Charles T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Snowdon
authors.forename: Jean A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.forename: Toni E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: Nancy J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Schultz-Darken
authors.forename: Pamela L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Tannenbaum
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: Ziji
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Almuth
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Einspanier
authors.forename: J Thomas
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Vaughan
authors.forename: Timothy Q
authors.initials: TQ
authors.lastname: Duong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D002144:Callithrix; D005260:Female; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D009812:Odorants; D010052:Ovariectomy; D012724:Sex Attractants / Q000502:physiology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012724:Sex Attractants