Biomedical subjects

C M Meston

Publications and source records attributed to C M Meston.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Dopamine and norepinephrine responses to film-induced sexual arousal in sexually functional and sexually dysfunctional women.

This study was designed to assess potential differences between sexually functional and dysfunctional women in dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) responses to erotic stimuli. Blood levels of homovanillic acid (HVA; the major metabolite of DA) and NE were taken during the showing of a nonsexual and a sexual film from 9 women with female sexual arousal disorder and hypoactive sexual desire disorder and from 13 sexually functional women. We assessed sexual arousal subjectively using a self-report scale and physiologically using a vaginal photoplethysmograph. HVA levels significantly decreased in sexually functional and dysfunctional women during the erotic versus during the neutral film. NE levels were not significantly different for either group of women during the neutral and erotic films. Sexually dysfunctional women had significantly higher levels of NE during both the neutral and erotic films compared with functional women. Subjective or physiological arousal differences between neutral and erotic films were not significantly different between functional and dysfunctional women.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Psychoactive drugs and human sexual behavior: the role of serotonergic activity.

A wide range of both prescription and nonprescription drugs has been reported to affect human sexual functioning. While the sexual side effects resulting from drug use have often been attributed to adrenergic, anticholinergic or dopaminergic activity, the present review considers the potential role of serotonin. Based on animal studies, serotonin has been shown to either facilitate or inhibit sexual activity depending on which serotonin receptor subtype is activated. However, few studies have been done in the human that assess the effects of drugs that bind selectively to serotonin receptors. Consequently, little is known about the role of serotonin in human sexual functioning. In this review, a wide range of drugs that affect both brain serotonergic systems and human sexual behavior is examined in an effort to determine the possible role of serotonin in human sexual behavior. A review of the literature is consistent with the hypothesis that the 5-HT1A and the 5-HT2 receptor subtypes play a facilitatory role in human sexual behavior. The evidence suggests that drugs that act as agonists on these receptor sites enhance sexual functioning in the human, while those that act as antagonists inhibit sexual functioning.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibition of subjective and physiological sexual arousal in women by clonidine.

OBJECTIVE: The present investigation was designed to provide the first empirical examination of the effects of clonidine, a selective alpha 2-adrenergic agonist, on sexual arousal in women with and without prior sympathetic nervous system [SNS] stimulation by exercise. The purpose was to help elucidate the influence of adrenergic mechanisms on sexual function in women. METHODS: Thirty sexually functional women participated in two experimental sessions in which subjective (self-report) and physiological (vaginal photoplethysmograph) sexual responses to erotic stimuli were measured after either clonidine (0.2 mg) or placebo administration in a randomized, double-blind, crossover protocol. Before viewing the experimental films, 15 subjects engaged in 20 minutes of intense exercise designed to elicit significant SNS activation. RESULTS: Clonidine significantly decreased vaginal pulse amplitude, vaginal blood volume, and subjective sexual responses to the erotic films in subjects who were in a state of heightened (via exercise), but not baseline (no exercise) SNS arousal. CONCLUSIONS: Clonidine can significantly inhibit subjective and physiological sexual arousal in women. These findings have implications for deriving an etiological theory of sexual function in women and for understanding the effects of psychotherapeutic drugs on female sexual function.

Adolescent↗