A Combined Psycho-pharmacological and Brain Imaging Study of Human Sexuality

Status

Suspended

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT00569413

Enrollment

Registered

2007-12-07

Start date

2011-04-30

Completion date

2011-10-31

Last updated

2010-06-10

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Erectile Dysfunction, Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder

Keywords

Sex, brain imaging, dopamine, sexual disorder

Brief summary

The current study combines a molecular genetic perspective, self report and brain imaging to the study of human sexuality in control subjects and individuals from a sexual disorder clinic. The investigators hypothesize that the variability in components of the brain dopaminergic system expressed in the mesolimbic reward system can explain variability in human sexuality, especially in desire and pleasure associated with sex.

Detailed description

We intend to combine molecular genetics of the dopamine receptors (D2, D3 D4 and D5) and brain imaging using 11 C Raclopride in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). 11 C Raclopride is a ligand which binds to the dopamine receptor D2 and can measure dopamine release during pleasure or anticipatory reward associated with sex. The current proposal will measure changes in DRD2 receptor occupancy using 11 C Raclopride following explicit visual sexual desire cues in healthy control subjects and individuals who suffer from sexual dysfunction. This is in order to determine how individual genotypes modulate dopamine release in vivo in the human brain.

Interventions

None listed

Study design

Observational model

COHORT

Time perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

21 Years to 65 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Healthy volunteers and patients * Age 21-65 * Male or female

Exclusion criteria

* Psychiatric diagnosis/psychosis * Neurological damage associated with loss of consciousness * Infectious disease HIV * Herpes * Syphilis * Hyperactivity treated with ritalin * Pregnant women * Under age

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Brain Imaging data of DRD2 receptor occupancy during watching a sex videotape and neutral videotape	2 Brain imaging sessions a week apart

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Questionnaire ratings of human sexuality, pleasure, and anticipatory reward	Taken during brain scans

Outcome results