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Cited by 296Spinal Cord Injury ResearchSexual function and dysfunction studiesVagus Nerve Stimulation Research

Brain activation during vaginocervical self-stimulation and orgasm in women with complete spinal cord injury: fMRI evidence of mediation by the Vagus nerves

Komisaruk, Barry R., Whipple, Beverly, Crawford, Audrita, Grimes, Sherry, Liu, Wen-Ching, Kalnin, Andrew, Mosier, Kristine·2004·Brain Research
DOI 10.1016/j.brainres.2004.07.029
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Abstract

Women diagnosed with complete spinal cord injury (SCI) at T10 or above report vaginal-cervical perceptual awareness. To test whether the Vagus nerves, which bypass the spinal cord, provide the afferent pathway for this response, we hypothesized that the Nucleus Tractus Solitarii (NTS) region of the medulla oblongata, to which the Vagus nerves project, is activated by vaginal-cervical self-stimulation (CSS) in such women, as visualized by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Regional blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal intensity was imaged during CSS and other motor and sensory procedures, using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis with head motion artifact correction. Physiatric examination and MRI established the location and extent of spinal cord injury. In order to demarcate the NTS, a gustatory stimulus and hand movement were used to activate the superior region of the NTS and the Nucleus Cuneatus adjacent to the inferior region of the NTS, respectively. Each of four women with interruption, or "complete" injury, of the spinal cord (ASIA criteria), and one woman with significant, but "incomplete" SCI, all at or above T10, showed activation of the inferior region of the NTS during CSS. Each woman showed analgesia, measured at the fingers, during CSS, confirming previous findings. Three women experienced orgasm during the CSS. The brain regions that showed activation during the orgasms included hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, medial amygdala,…

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  • During sexual self-stimulation, for both men and women, activity in the cerebellum, ACC, VTA, and NAc steadily increases until orgasm is reached.

    “During sexual self-stimulation, for both men and women, activity in the cerebellum, ACC, VTA, and NAc steadily increases until orgasm is reached [133,134].”

    From The Neurobiology of Love and Pair Bonding from Human and Animal Perspectives (2023) · cites this paper as [133]

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Authors
Komisaruk, B. R., Whipple, B., Crawford, A., Grimes, S., Liu, W.-C., Kalnin, A., & Mosier, K.
Affiliations
  • Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
  • Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (US)
Corresponding author
Komisaruk, Barry R.
ORCID
Venue
Brain Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2004-10
Volume
1024
Issue
1-2
Pages
77-88
ISSN
0006-8993 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.brainres.2004.07.029
OpenAlex
W2160771378
Cited by
296
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 24
FWCI
7.06
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Brain Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (R25GM060826)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Spinal Cord Injury Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Sexual function and dysfunction studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research
Keywords
complete spinal cord injury, orgasm, vagus nerve, nucleus tractus solitarius, vagal afferent pathways, analgesia, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, medial amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, brain activation, women
MeSH terms
Adult, Brain, Cervix Uteri, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Masturbation, Middle Aged, Neural Pathways, Orgasm, Vagina, Vagus Nerve

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