Activation of neural pathways associated with sexual arousal in non-human primates.
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.
Ferris
Craig F
CF
Center for Comparative Neuroimaging, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01655, USA. craig.ferris@umassmed.edu
Snowdon
Charles T
CT
King
Jean A
JA
Sullivan
John M
JM
Ziegler
Toni E
TE
Olson
David P
DP
Schultz-Darken
Nancy J
NJ
Tannenbaum
Pamela L
PL
Ludwig
Reinhold
R
Wu
Ziji
Z
Einspanier
Almuth
A
Vaughan
J Thomas
JT
Duong
Timothy Q
TQ
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*
D012724:Sex Attractants