C-Tactile Mediated Erotic Touch Perception Relates to Sexual Desire and Performance in a Gender-Specific Way
| Autor: | Håkan Olausson, Janniko R. Georgiadis, Ilona Croy, Johanna Bendas, Gerhard Ritschel, Kerstin Weidner |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Time Factors genetic structures PLEASANT TOUCH Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism Erotic PRIMARY SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX HAIRY SKIN Developmental psychology 0302 clinical medicine Endocrinology BRAIN ACTIVATION media_common 05 social sciences WOMEN Hypoactive sexual desire disorder HUMANS MEN Psychiatry and Mental health Sexual desire Behavioral data Touch Perception UNMYELINATED AFFERENTS Female Psychology Mechanoreceptors Adult Adolescent Libido Urology media_common.quotation_subject 050105 experimental psychology Sexual Desire Young Adult 03 medical and health sciences Sex Factors Physical Stimulation Perception C-Tactile Afferents medicine 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Sexual functioning Gender HELP-SEEKING BEHAVIOR medicine.disease Reproductive Medicine Touch Eroticism Sexual orientation Sexual Performance 030217 neurology & neurosurgery SYSTEM |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Sexual Medicine, 14(5), 645-653. ELSEVIER SCI LTD |
| ISSN: | 1743-6095 |
| Popis: | Background Unmyelinated low-threshold mechanoreceptors—the so-called C-tactile (CT) afferents—play a crucial role in the perception and conduction of caressing and pleasant touch sensations and significantly contribute to the concept of erotic touch perception. Aim To investigate the relations between sexual desire and sexual performance and the perception of touch mediated by CT afferents. Methods Seventy healthy participants (28 men, 42 women; mean age ± SD = 24.84 ± 4.08 years, range = 18–36 years) underwent standardized and highly controlled stroking stimulation that varied in the amount of CT fiber stimulation by changing stroking velocity (CT optimal = 1, 3 and 10 cm/s; CT suboptimal = 0.1, 0.3, and 30 cm/s). Participants rated the perceived pleasantness, eroticism, and intensity of the applied tactile stimulation on a visual analog scale, completed the Sexual Desire Inventory, and answered questions about sexual performance. Outcomes Ratings of perceived eroticism of touch were related to self-report levels of sexual desire and sexual performance. Results Pleasantness and eroticism ratings showed similar dependence on stroking velocity that aligned with the activity of CT afferents. Erotic touch perception was related to sexual desire and sexual performance in a gender-specific way. In women, differences in eroticism ratings between CT optimal and suboptimal velocities correlated positively with desire for sexual interaction. In contrast, in men, this difference correlated to a decreased frequency and longer duration of partnered sexual activities. Clinical Implications The present results lay the foundation for future research assessing these relations in patients with specific impairments of sexual functioning (eg, hypoactive sexual desire disorder). Strengths and Limitations The strength of the study is the combination of standardized neurophysiologic methods and behavioral data. A clear limitation of the study design is the exclusion of exact data on the female menstrual cycle and the recruitment of an inhomogeneous sample concerning sexual orientation. Conclusion The present results provide further evidence that unmyelinated CT afferents play a role in the complex mechanism of erotic touch perception. The ability to differentiate between CT optimal and suboptimal stimuli relates to sexual desire and performance in a gender-specific way. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|