By clothing-bag, 21/08/2022

Researchers discover which brain area corresponds to the clitoris

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Por primera vez, investigadores han logrado definir con precisión dónde se ubica la representación del clítoris en el cerebro de las mujeres.

Su estudio, publicado el lunes en la revista científica JNeurosci, muestra además que el área del cerebro activada durante la estimulación del clítoris es más extensa en las mujeres que tienen más relaciones sexuales.

It was performed by stimulating the clitoris of 20 women while performing a magnetic resonance of their brains.

Does a larger area allow you to better perceive sensations?Is the size of this area that drives to have more sexual intercourse, or have frequent relationships grow it?These are questions impossible to answer for the moment, researchers need.

Sin embargo, este estudio podría ayudar a desarrollar mejores tratamientos para las personas que han sufrido violencia sexual o que tienen problemas sexuales.

"La forma en que los genitales femeninos están representados en la corteza somatosensorial humana está muy poco estudiada", recalcó a la AFP Christine Heim, profesora de psicología médica en el Hospital Universitario Charité en Berlín, quien fue coautora del estudio.

"And this lack of knowledge has stopped research on both standard sexual behaviors and pathological conditions," he added.

Body map

When a part of the body is affected, neuronal activity is activated in the somatosensory cortex.And each part of the body corresponds to a different area of the brain, forming a kind of body map.Sin embargo, hasta ahora, la ubicación precisa de los genitales femeninos en ese mapa seguía siendo un tema de debate.

Previous studies had sometimes located it under the representation of the foot, others near the hip.The reason: imprecise stimulation techniques (own or by a third party) that caused the simultaneous friction of other parts of the body, or triggered excitement, dulling the results.

En 2005, utilizando una técnica que imitaba una sensación táctil muy localizada, los investigadores pudieron determinar la ubicación precisa de la representación de los genitales masculinos en el cerebro.But this had not yet been done in women.

To achieve this, 20 healthy women were selected between 18 and 45 years.Para la estimulación, se aplicó un pequeño objeto redondo diseñado específicamente para el estudio, puesto sobre la ropa interior a la altura del clítoris: gracias a chorros de aire, una pequeña membrana comenzaba a vibrar levemente.

The approach was destined to be "as comfortable as possible" for the participants, explains John-Dylan Haynes, co-author of the study.

Se realizaron ocho estimulaciones del clítoris, de 10 segundos cada una, intercaladas con 10 segundos de descanso, así como ocho estimulaciones en el dorso de la mano derecha para comparar.

The conclusion is that for both women and men, the representation of the genitals on the brain map is close to the representation of the hip.

However, the precise location varies for each woman within this area.

Plasticity

Luego, los investigadores estudiaron si este área exhibía características diferentes según la actividad sexual.

The 20 women were asked about the frequency of their sexual relations during the past year, as well as from the beginning of their sexual life.

Then, for each of them, the researchers determined the ten most activated points in the brain during stimulation and measured the area obtained.

"We have found a link between the thickness of the genital zone and the frequency of sexual relations," especially in the last 12 months, explains Heim.

"Cuanto más relaciones sexuales, más amplia es la zona".Brain plasticity is well known: parts of the brain develop as a function is used.But, for the moment, a causal link cannot be established directly.

However, previous studies in animals have shown that the stimulation of rats and mice genitals effectively led to an expansion of the brain area corresponding to these organs.The study also did not determine whether a larger area resulted in a better perception.

Pero Heim, en un estudio publicado en 2013, había demostrado que las personas que habían sufrido violencia sexual traumática tenían un área genital reducida.

"At that time, we propose the hypothesis that this could be the response of the brain to limit the harmful effect of abuse," he explained, added that more studies would be needed to verify it.

In the future, the goal is to develop ways to help patients. La investigadora quiere estudiar si ciertos trastornos sexuales están relacionados con alteraciones en el área genital.

So, perhaps, therapies could be considered to "train" this area.