Researchers from Germany and the United States revealed a population of neurons in the hypothalamus, which regulates the desire to enter into sexual intercourse. The article of scientists was published in the journal Nature.
Hypotalamus – a small area in the intermediate brain – responds with a person for many motives, including hunger, thirst and desire to coordinate. Researchers from the Würzburg and Harvard Universities in the experiments on mice found that the desire to pairing in mice is controlled by a special population of neurons that stimulate the emission of dopamine – “hormone pleasure” – in the medial prevention area of the hypothalamus. The activation of the signal paths caused by this in which the neural circuit is responsible for pairing underlies the continuous strengthening of the desire to pair.
Scientists have shown that artificial stimulation or suppression of this population seriously influenced sexual desire. The results of the study explain why some drugs are influenced by some medicines, in particular, selective inhibitors of serotonin reverse seizure (they include many antidepressants). According to the authors of the work, the elevated level of serotonin “slows” associated with dopamine signaling paths, thereby reducing libido.