title: Erotic stimulus processing under amisulpride and reboxetine: a placebo-controlled fMRI study in healthy subjects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Impaired sexual function is increasingly recognized as a side effect of psychopharmacological treatment. However, underlying mechanisms of action of the different drugs on sexual processing are still to be explored. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we previously investigated effects of serotonergic (paroxetine) and dopaminergic (bupropion) antidepressants on sexual functioning (Abler et al., 2011). Here, we studied the impact of noradrenergic and antidopaminergic medication on neural correlates of visual sexual stimulation in a new sample of subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen healthy heterosexual males (mean age 24 years, SD 3.1) under subchronic intake (7 days) of the noradrenergic agent reboxetine (4 mg/d), the antidopaminergic agent amisulpride (200mg/d), and placebo were included and studied with functional magnetic resonance imaging within a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, within-subjects design during an established erotic video-clip task. Subjective sexual functioning was assessed using the Massachusetts General Hospital-Sexual Functioning Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative to placebo, subjective sexual functioning was attenuated under reboxetine along with diminished neural activations within the caudate nucleus. Altered neural activations correlated with decreased sexual interest. Under amisulpride, neural activations and subjective sexual functioning remained unchanged.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In line with previous interpretations of the role of the caudate nucleus in the context of primary reward processing, attenuated caudate activation may reflect detrimental effects on motivational aspects of erotic stimulus processing under noradrenergic agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry III, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (Drs Graf, Wiegers, Grön, and Abler); Department of Psychiatry, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter); Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter). heiko.graf@uni-ulm.de.
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Graf
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry III, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (Drs Graf, Wiegers, Grön, and Abler); Department of Psychiatry, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter); Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter).
authors.forename: Maike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wiegers
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry III, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (Drs Graf, Wiegers, Grön, and Abler); Department of Psychiatry, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter); Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter).
authors.forename: Coraline D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Metzger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry III, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (Drs Graf, Wiegers, Grön, and Abler); Department of Psychiatry, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter); Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter).
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry III, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (Drs Graf, Wiegers, Grön, and Abler); Department of Psychiatry, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter); Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter).
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grön
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry III, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany (Drs Graf, Wiegers, Grön, and Abler); Department of Psychiatry, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter); Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany (Drs Metzger and Walter).
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abler
mesh_terms: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000328:Adult; D000077582:Amisulpride; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004882:Erotica; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009025:Morpholines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D000077593:Reboxetine; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013469:Sulpiride / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014741:Video Recording; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018759:Adrenergic Uptake Inhibitors; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D009025:Morpholines; D013469:Sulpiride; D000077582:Amisulpride; D000077593:Reboxetine
keywords: amisulpride; erotic stimulus processing; fMRI; impaired sexual function; reboxetine