Sexual Function & Sex Related Disorders

What is hypothalamic differentiation?

Sex hormone determination around the time of birth

Why is sexual behaviour hard to study in humans?

Very private subject

Which area of the brain is responsible for copulatory behaviours in male rodents?

Medial Preoptic Area of the Hypothalamus (MPAO)

Which area of the brain is responsible for copulatory behaviours in female rodents?

Ventromedial Nucleus (VMN)

What importance does sensory input have on rodent sexual behaviour?

Singing is part of courtship

Chemicals in juvenile mice deter copulation

Why are studies of rodent sexual behaviour not very generalisable to humans?

Too reductionist, human sexual behaviour is far more complex

What are the Kinsey Reports?

Taxonomy of human sexual behaviour based on many interviews

What is the Sexual Response Cycle? (Masters & Johnson)

Desire, Plateau, Orgasm, Resolution

What is a criticism of the Sexual Response Cycle?

Doesn't capture variability

What major components are linked to distinct brain systems in sexual behaviour?

Wanting

Liking

Learning

What are the results of interfering with sexual differentiation in animal models?

Lead to displays of sexual behaviours associated with the opposite sex or same-sex preferences

Can we generalise findings of interfering with the sexual differentiations of animals to humans?

No, does not encompass the cognitive and emotional aspects of human sexuality

What is the Fraternal Birth Order Effect (FBOE)?

Evidence that the order in which boys are born is linked to male homosexuality

What is the Maternal Immunisation Hypothesis?

Immune systems are linked to the expression of certain chemical pathways

Is the Fraternal Birth Order Effect (FBOE) likely to exist?

No, the specific association between the number of older brothers and homosexual orientation is small

Can hormonal factors affect same-sex preferences?

Perinatal hormone exposure may have an effect

Can neuroanatomical factors affect same-sex preferences?

Differences in specific hypothalamic nuclei may have an effect

Can genetic factors affect same-sex preferences?

40/20% variance in sexual orientation of males/females

What is the deviation from statistical normality?

A form of classification that relies on accurate and extensive data with cross-cultural granularity

What are the issues with using statistical normality?

Hard to obtain data

Ultimately subjective

What is the deviation from social norms?

Concerns behaviour that is different from the accepted standards of behaviour in a community or society

What are some issues with relying on social norms?

Cultural, historical and political changes

What is distress in terms of abnormality?

Persistence or frequency of distress may be important & requires awareness and acknowledgement that some individuals may not experience distress

What are deficits in normal function?

Focus on social, interpersonal, occupational functioning

What are some issues with deficits in normal function?

Maladaptive response may have a logical basis and can ignore individual experiences

What is sexual dysfunction?

Relates to problems with experiencing the human sexual response cycle

What are paraphilic disorders?

Relates to "inappropriate" activation of the human sexual response cycle

What is needed for a diagnosis of sexual dysfunction?

Impact on subject distress and functioning

Persistent/recurrent symptoms

What are risk factors for sexual dysfunction?

Gender related risks

Health conditions

Sexual Abuse

What are the treatments for sexual dysfunction?

Psychotherapy

Biological treatments (drugs)

What are the risk factors of paraphilic disorders?

Being male

Hypersexuality

What are the treatments for paraphilic disorders?

Therapies

Homonal & drug treatments

What are the stages of Brain Gender?

Chromosomal

Phenotypic

Brain

Experienced

What are the issues of Brain Gender?

Possibly downplays environmental and brain plasticity aspects

Binary in nature

Causality regarding brain differences is not well-established by the evidence

What are some risk factors/causes of gender dysphoria?

Lack of evidence

What are the treatments for gender dysphoria?

Psychological treatments

Gender reassignment surgery