Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology (대한영상의학회지)

The Korean Society of Radiology (대한영상의학회)
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Cerebral Activation Associated with Visually Evoked Sexual Arousal in the Limbic System: Functional MR Imaging

시각적으로 유발된 성적흥분에 의한 대뇌 변연계의 활성화: 기능적 자기 공명 영상법

Eun, Sung-Jong;Jeong, Gwang-Woo;Kim, Hyung-Joong;Seo, Jeong-Jin;Kang, Heoung-Keun;Cho, Ki-Hyun;Yoon, Ka-Hyun;Kim, Kyung-Yo
은성종;정광우;김형중;서정진;강형근;조기현;윤가현;김경요

  • Published : 20040000
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Abstract

Purpose: To identify the brain centers associated with visually evoked sexual arousal in the human brain, and to investigate the neural mechanism for sexual arousal using functional MRI (fMRI). Materials and Methods: A total of 20 sexually potent volunteers consisting of 10 males (mean age: 24) and 10 females (mean age: 23) underwent fMRI on a 1.5T MR scanner (GE Signa Horizon). The fMRI data were obtained from 7 slices (10 mm slice thickness) parallel to the AC-PC (anterior commissure and posterior commissure) line, giving a total of 511 MR images. The sexual stimulation consisted of a 1-minute rest with black screen, followed by a 4-minute stimulation by an erotic video film, and concluded with a 2-minute rest. The brain activation maps and their quantification were analyzed by the statistical parametric mapping (SPM 99) program. Results: The brain activation regions associated with visual sexual arousal in the limbic system are the posterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, hypothalamus, medial cingulate gyrus, thalamus, amygdala, anterior cingulate gyrus, insula, hippocampus, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus and putamen. Especially, the parahippocampal gyrus, cingulate gyrus, thalamus and hypothalamus were highly activated in comparison with other areas. The overall activities of the limbic lobe, diencephalon, and basal ganglia were 11.8%, 10.5%, and 3.4%, respectively. In the correlation test between brain activity and sexual arousal, the hypothalamus and thalamus showed positive correlation, but the other brain areas showed no correlation. Conclusion: The fMRI is useful to quantitatively evaluate the cerebral activation associated with visually evoked, sexual arousal in the human brain. This result may be helpful by providing clinically valuable information on sexual disorder in humans as well as by increasing the understanding of the neuroanatomical correlates of sexual arousal.

목적: 기능적 자기공명영상법(fMRI)을 이용하여 시각적 성적흥분과 관련된 대뇌 변연계의 영역을 규명하고, 아울러 성적흥분과 관련된 대뇌의 신경생리학적 기전을 알아보고자 하였다. 대상과 방법: 오른손잡이 남자 10명(21-28세: 평균 24세)과 여자 10명(20-28세: 평균 23세)을 대상으로 하여 1.5 Tesla MR Scanner(GE Signa Horizon)를 사용하여 기능적 자기공명영상을 얻었다. 대뇌의 활성화를 유도하기 위하여 1분간의 휴지기 후 4분간 성인용 영화를 보게 한 다음, 다시 2분간의 휴지기로 구성된 파라다임을 이용하였으며, 이때 AC-PC 선을 기준으로 하여 7개의 횡단면으로부터 총 511개의 MR영상을 획득한 후 SPM-99 프로그램을이용하여 활성화 영상을 얻었다. 결과: 남녀 전체를 대상으로 분석한 결과, 시각적 성적자극에 따른 대뇌 변연계의 활성화 영역은 후대상회, 방해마회, 시상하부, 중대상회, 시상, 편도체, 전대상회, 후대상회, 뇌섬엽, 해마,미상핵, 창백핵, 조가비핵 등 이였으며, 그 중에서도 방해마회, 대상회, 시상, 시상하부 등은 다른 부위에 비하여 활성화율과 활성화도가 상대적으로 높게 나타났다. 대뇌의 영역별로 평균활성화도(%, pixel수 기준)를 측정한 결과, 변연회는 11.8%, 간뇌는 10.5%, 그리고 기저핵은3.4%의 활성화도를 보였다. 성적 흥분도와 활성화도의 상관관계의 분석결과 시상하부와 시상에서 양(+)의 상관관계를 보였다. 결론: fMRI를 이용하여, 시각적으로 유발된 성적흥분과 관련된 대뇌 변연계의 부위별 활성화정도를 정량적인 측면에서 평가할 수 있었으며, 이러한 결과를 성적 흥분도와의 상관성을 통하여 시각적 성적흥분의 신경해부학적인 기전을 이해할 수 있고 나아가서는 성기능 장애와 관련되는 임상응용에도 도움이 될 것으로 생각된다.

Keywords

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