Appetitive responses to sexual stimuli are attenuated in individuals with low levels of sexual desire

Despite the high prevalence of sexual desire disorders, little is known about their biological underpinnings in humans. Animal studies suggest that dopamine is involved in appetitive sexual behavior; thus, one aim of this study was to elucidate that relationship in humans. This study used measuremen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of sexual behavior 2005-10, Vol.34 (5), p.547-556
Main Authors: Giargiari, Tracie D, Mahaffey, Amanda L, Craighead, W Edward, Hutchison, Kent E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Stimulation
Adult
Arousal
Dopamine - metabolism
Female
Gender differences
Humans
Libido
Male
Reflex, Startle
Sexual behavior
Sexual disorders
Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological - metabolism
Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological - metabolism
Students
United States
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Summary:Despite the high prevalence of sexual desire disorders, little is known about their biological underpinnings in humans. Animal studies suggest that dopamine is involved in appetitive sexual behavior; thus, one aim of this study was to elucidate that relationship in humans. This study used measurement of the acoustic startle response (ASR) and prepulse inhibition of the startle response (PPI) as psychophysiological indicators of changes in motivational states to assess the potential relation between sexual desire and appetitive motivation in humans. Responses to sexually provocative stimuli consisting of single nude men and single nude women in a sample of 153 participants (77 men, 76 women) were assessed. The results indicated that ASR was attenuated after exposure to appetitive stimuli (i.e., sexually provocative pictures of attractive individuals) to a greater extent among participants with higher levels of sexual desire, as measured by the Sexual Desire Inventory-2 (Spector, I. P., Carey, M. P., & Steinberg, L. (1996). Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 22, 175-190). In addition, PPI was inversely associated with subjective ratings across stimuli such that greater subjective levels of desire were correlated with lower levels of PPI. In general, these results suggest that individuals with lower levels of sexual desire may have a diminished physiological response to appetitive sexual stimuli.
ISSN:0004-0002
1573-2800
DOI:10.1007/s10508-005-6280-y