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Aguiar S, Carvalho J, Carrito ML, Santos IM. Automatic attention to sexual stimuli: exploring the role of neuroticism and sexual excitation/inhibition through event-related potentials. J Sex Med 2023; 20:367-376. [PMID: 36763959 DOI: 10.1093/jsxmed/qdac048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous findings have shown that neuroticism is a higher-order vulnerability factor in the development and maintenance of sexual dysfunctions and can have an impact on the attentional processing of sexual stimuli; however, the influence of psychosexual dimensions on the early automatic phases of such cognitive processes has not been established yet. AIM To examine the mediating role of sexual inhibition/excitation propensity in the relationship between neuroticism and automatic attention to visual erotica and to identify the neuroelectric correlates of such a process. METHODS We analyzed the answers provided by 58 individuals on the Neuroticism subscale of the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised and the Sexual Inhibition/Excitation Scales. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during a modified oddball paradigm containing romantic and sexually explicit pictures. Parallel mediations were performed to simultaneously test the mediating role of sexual inhibition/excitation in the relationship between neuroticism and each ERP. OUTCOMES Three early attention ERP components (P1, P2, and N2) were assessed. RESULTS Findings revealed an indirect effect of neuroticism on automatic attention, via sexual inhibition due to threat of performance failure (SIS1), for romantic and sexually explicit stimuli. This effect was significant only for component N2, which showed increased amplitudes and earlier latencies in participants with high SIS1. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS Sexual stimuli, due to their emotional valence and arousal potential, might be perceived as virtually threatening by individuals with neuroticism, who may benefit from strategies that decrease hyperarousal and sympathetic activation. STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS This was one of the first studies to analyze neuroelectric activity associated with automatic attention toward sexual stimuli in relation to personality and sexual excitation/inhibition propensity. Nevertheless, the limited number of participants demands caution in generalizing the results. CONCLUSION These results provide a better understanding of the relationship between personality and sexual cognition and open new avenues of research in relation to other automatic cognitive phenomena related to human sexual behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Aguiar
- Center for Psychology at the University of Porto, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Joana Carvalho
- William James Center for Research, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Mariana L Carrito
- Center for Psychology at the University of Porto, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Isabel M Santos
- William James Center for Research, Department of Education and Psychology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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Ma Z, Ren F, Huang X, Yang X, Li H, Li G, Chang D, Yin T, Zhang P. Decreased gray matter volume of the anterior insular cortex in patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction: A voxel-based morphometry study. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 145:125-131. [PMID: 34920162 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to explore the gray matter morphological alteration and its correlation with the severity of symptoms in patients with psychogenic erectile dysfunction (pED). Fifty patients with pED and 50 healthy controls (HCs) were included. The whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis was conducted to compare the differences in gray matter volume (GMV) between patients with pED and HCs. And then, the region-of-interest-based correlation analyses were performed between the GMV of these regions with the most pronounced between-group differences and clinical symptoms in patients. The results demonstrated that patients with pED manifested decreased GMV in the bilateral anterior insula (aINS), bilateral precentral gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, bilateral anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral middle cingulate cortex, bilateral fusiform gyrus, and cerebellum when compared to HCs. Taking the bilateral aINS as the region-of-interest, the results of voxel-based correlation analyses showed that the GMV of the bilateral aINS were positively correlated with the International Index of Erectile Function 5 (IIEF-5) and Quality of Erection Questionnaire score, and the GMV of right aINS was positively associated with duration and sexual craving score in patients with pED. Furthermore, the significant correlations between the total GMV of the right aINS and IIEF-5 and sexual craving score, as well as between the total GMV of the left aINS and sexual craving score were also detected. In conclusion, these results suggested that the decreased GMV of aINS might be a critical neuropathological characteristic of pED, which provided new evidence for understanding the neurobiological basis of pED from the perspective of brain structure alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Ma
- Department of Andrology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; Clinical Medical School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, China
| | - Feiqiang Ren
- Department of Urology, Chongqing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, Chongqing, 400021, China
| | - Xiaopeng Huang
- Department of Andrology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China
| | - Xuemei Yang
- Clinical Medical School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, China
| | - Hao Li
- Clinical Medical School, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, China
| | - Guangsen Li
- Department of Andrology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China
| | - Degui Chang
- Department of Andrology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China
| | - Tao Yin
- Acupuncture and Tuina School/The 3rd Teaching Hospital, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610075, China; Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, 610075, China.
| | - Peihai Zhang
- Department of Andrology, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China; TCM Regulating Metabolic Diseases Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610072, China.
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