Nipples stimulate the same area of the brain as genitals do

August 5, 2011 by Deborah Braconnier in Medical research weblog

A new study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine reveals medical evidence that women’s nipples stimulate the brain in the same way that genital stimulation does, something most women already know.

A team of researchers at Rutgers University led by psychologist Barry Komisaruk, recruited 11 healthy women between the ages of 23 and 56. The women were placed in an fMRI scanner and asked to stimulate their cervix, nipple, clitoris and vagina with either a rhythmic finger tap or plastic dildo.

The images of the women revealed increased activity in the medial paracentral lobule for each area of stimulation, however each stimulated area was responsible for lighting up a specific region.

There are four nerves that bring signals to the brain from the genital region. The pudendal nerve is connected to the clitoris, the pelvic nerve to the vagina, the hypogastric nerve to the cervix and uterus and the vagus nerve which also connects the cervix.

Nipple stimulation during breast-feeding is known to cause the release of oxytocin which triggers uterine contractions and Komisaruk believes this then sends a signal to the genital area of the brain. However, the few men who have been studied under the same controls show similar activity to nipple stimulation. One of the study researchers is now also looking at women who have had a hysterectomy to see if the response is the same.

Komisaruk hopes that this new research will lead to information to help people who are unable to reach orgasm but is also looking at ways to use this pleasurable stimulation to directly control brain activity. According to Komisaruk, learning to better understand and control the part of the brain that produces pleasurable sensations could make a difference in the treatment of depression, anxiety, addiction or even obesity.

© 2010 PhysOrg.com

4.8 /5 (19 votes)  

Filter


Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

Isaacsname
Aug 05, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
What an eye-catching title. On the serious side of things, this could be an explanation as to why some women feel uncomfortable breastfeeding. I could see that for a nursing mother that could be awkward.
emsquared
Aug 05, 2011

Rank: 5 / 5 (5)
Is it possible that this is observed because it's contextualized as sexual before-hand? Which is to say, would the same area of the brain light up if you hand someone kiss their neck or stimulate any given erogenous zone? In women at least I suspect it would, it's the brain that's the primary sexual organ.

What about if the stimulation is in a non-sexual context, like a gynecological visit and speculum instead of a dildo? I'm thinking you're gonna get a different response, again the brain is the sexual organ.
RobertKarlStonjek
Aug 05, 2011

Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
This is just the kind of thing that all budding lab assistants dream of just before they get to examine the contents of the lower bowel of rabid dogs....dreams and reality: they can't all fit into the same box...
Dug
Aug 05, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
You left out the G-spot which has more sensitivity than the four you mentioned, produces faster arousal and climax than the clitoris.
hush1
Aug 05, 2011

Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
Em's point is in my view a good point. The list of cognitive bias are a nightmare to isolate. Even the physical settings offer sources of cognitive bias, without even considering the relational implications of dialogues between subjects and researchers.
Setting the 'mindset' is the weaker generalization or expression of the cognitive biases.

The media will eventually exploit this:
Orgasms at will - can too many lead to addiction?
Sex industry losses in the billions.
PPihkala
Aug 06, 2011

Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
Maybe they have to repeat this study while the subjects are under anesthesia. That could help them eliminate indirect arousal. But this setup would probably give problems in finding test subjects, because someone else would be doing the tapping and subjects would not be able to supervise what is being done.
Physmet
Aug 06, 2011

Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
My tenth thought (let's be honest, it wasn't my first!) was that they should have had them also touching other areas as well: stomach/abdomen, leg, arm, eyelid. There should also have a been a control group where all they did was touch the innocuous places and the nipple. This would show whether there is a contextual response to the touching.
Isaacsname
Aug 06, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
My tenth thought (let's be honest, it wasn't my first!) was that they should have had them also touching other areas as well: stomach/abdomen, leg, arm, eyelid. There should also have a been a control group where all they did was touch the innocuous places and the nipple. This would show whether there is a contextual response to the touching.


I will volunteer myself. In the name of science of course.
WriterSP
Aug 06, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
Just as an aside...I kind of gathered this insight from personal experience a long time ago. In foreplay moments, I always noticed that my partner would exhibit feelings of stimulation in her genital region from nipple stimulation (as exhibited by her squeezing her thighs and heaving her hips up and down). Is this really something no one noticed before? C'mon.
Isaacsname
Aug 06, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
Just as an aside...I kind of gathered this insight from personal experience a long time ago. In foreplay moments, I always noticed that my partner would exhibit feelings of stimulation in her genital region from nipple stimulation (as exhibited by her squeezing her thighs and heaving her hips up and down). Is this really something no one noticed before? C'mon.


I always just looked at nipples like they were tuning/volume knobs.
antonima
Aug 06, 2011

Rank: not rated yet
My tenth thought (let's be honest, it wasn't my first!) was that they should have had them also touching other areas as well: stomach/abdomen, leg, arm, eyelid. There should also have a been a control group where all they did was touch the innocuous places and the nipple. This would show whether there is a contextual response to the touching.


I agree. They should repeat the study with a world-class masseuse as well.
Rank 4.8 /5 (19 votes)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Now we know why old scizophrenia medicine works on antibiotics-resistant bacteria

In 2008 researchers from the University of Southern Denmark showed that the drug thioridazine, which has previously been used to treat schizophrenia, is also a powerful weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as ...

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

SUMO wrestling cells reveal new protective mechanism target for stroke

Scientists investigating the interaction of a group of proteins in the brain responsible for protecting nerve cells from damage have identified a new target that could increase cell survival.

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

How serotonin receptors can shape drug effects, from LSD to migraine medication

New findings by researchers carrying out experiments at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science's Advanced Photon Source (APS) help explain why some drugs that interact with two kinds of human serotonin ...

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Preventing blood poisoning

Peptide molecules derived from the body's natural immune system can help boost the body's defence against life-threatening blood poisoning, joint University research has uncovered.

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New mechanism to prevent type 2 diabetes in obese individuals

A new Montréal study conducted by Dr. May Faraj, associate research professor at the Université de Montréal and invited scientist at the IRCM, along with her research team and medical collaborators, shows ...

Medical research created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Alzheimer's leaves bilingual victims stranded in Canada

The devastating effect of Alzheimer's disease on bilingual people has been thrown into focus in Canada, where the sudden loss of a second language can leave sufferers feeling like strangers in their own country.

'Gap' for HIV vaccine efforts after latest setback

The hunt for an HIV vaccine has gobbled up $8 billion in the past decade, and the failure of the most recent efficacy trial has delivered yet another setback to 26 years of efforts.

Consuming coffee linked to lower risk of detrimental liver disease, study finds

Regular consumption of coffee is associated with a reduced risk of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), an autoimmune liver disease, Mayo Clinic research shows. The findings were being presented at the Digestive Disease ...

Ketamine shows significant therapeutic benefit in people with treatment-resistant depression

Patients with treatment-resistant major depression saw dramatic improvement in their illness after treatment with ketamine, an anesthetic, according to the largest ketamine clinical trial to-date led by researchers from the ...

Research examines new methods for managing digestive health

Research presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) explores new methods for managing digestive health through diet and lifestyle.

New smartphone application improves colonoscopy preparation

The use of a smartphone application significantly improves patients' preparation for a colonoscopy, according to new research presented today at Digestive Disease Week (DDW). The preparation process, which begins days in ...