Medical News Today article on the effects of sex on the brain
Jack1
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Interesting article on how the parts of our brains that process emotions are affected by sex
How does sex affect the brain
The scans demonstrated that stimulating the erect penis increased blood flow in the posterior insula and the secondary somatosensory cortex in the right hemisphere of the brain, while decreasing it in the right amygdala.
The insulaTrusted Source is a part of the brain that has been tied to processing emotions, as well as to sensations of pain and warmth. Similarly, the secondary somatosensory cortexTrusted Source is thought to play an important role in encoding sensations of pain.
As for the amygdala, it is known to be involved in the regulation of emotions, and dysregulations of its activityTrusted Source have been tied to the development of anxiety disorders.
An older study from the same university — which focused on brain regions that were activated at the time of ejaculation — found that there was an increase in blood flow to the cerebellum, which also plays a key role in the processing of emotions.
The researchers liken the activation of the cerebellum during ejaculation to the pleasure rush caused by other activities that stimulate the brain’s reward system.
How does sex affect the brain
The scans demonstrated that stimulating the erect penis increased blood flow in the posterior insula and the secondary somatosensory cortex in the right hemisphere of the brain, while decreasing it in the right amygdala.
The insulaTrusted Source is a part of the brain that has been tied to processing emotions, as well as to sensations of pain and warmth. Similarly, the secondary somatosensory cortexTrusted Source is thought to play an important role in encoding sensations of pain.
As for the amygdala, it is known to be involved in the regulation of emotions, and dysregulations of its activityTrusted Source have been tied to the development of anxiety disorders.
An older study from the same university — which focused on brain regions that were activated at the time of ejaculation — found that there was an increase in blood flow to the cerebellum, which also plays a key role in the processing of emotions.
The researchers liken the activation of the cerebellum during ejaculation to the pleasure rush caused by other activities that stimulate the brain’s reward system.