title: Neural correlates of sexual cue reactivity in individuals with and without compulsive sexual behaviours.
abstract: Although compulsive sexual behaviour (CSB) has been conceptualized as a "behavioural" addiction and common or overlapping neural circuits may govern the processing of natural and drug rewards, little is known regarding the responses to sexually explicit materials in individuals with and without CSB. Here, the processing of cues of varying sexual content was assessed in individuals with and without CSB, focusing on neural regions identified in prior studies of drug-cue reactivity. 19 CSB subjects and 19 healthy volunteers were assessed using functional MRI comparing sexually explicit videos with non-sexual exciting videos. Ratings of sexual desire and liking were obtained. Relative to healthy volunteers, CSB subjects had greater desire but similar liking scores in response to the sexually explicit videos. Exposure to sexually explicit cues in CSB compared to non-CSB subjects was associated with activation of the dorsal anterior cingulate, ventral striatum and amygdala. Functional connectivity of the dorsal anterior cingulate-ventral striatum-amygdala network was associated with subjective sexual desire (but not liking) to a greater degree in CSB relative to non-CSB subjects. The dissociation between desire or wanting and liking is consistent with theories of incentive motivation underlying CSB as in drug addictions. Neural differences in the processing of sexual-cue reactivity were identified in CSB subjects in regions previously implicated in drug-cue reactivity studies. The greater engagement of corticostriatal limbic circuitry in CSB following exposure to sexual cues suggests neural mechanisms underlying CSB and potential biological targets for interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Behavioural and Clinical Neurosciences Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Voon
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Thomas B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Mole
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Banca
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Behavioural and Clinical Neurosciences Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Laurel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Foundation Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Tatyana R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Lapa
authors.affiliation: British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Karr
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Neil A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry, Neurobiology and Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
authors.forename: Marc N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Potenza
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Addenbrooke's Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irvine
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003463:Cues; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020010:Heterosexuality; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012201:Reward; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D066328:Ventral Striatum / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology