Spinal neural circuits that regulate male sexual function are ubiquitous in mammals-A research group consisting of Associate Professor Hirotaka Sakamoto of the Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Okayama University, Kinki University, and Okayama University of Science compared an animal called Sunkus with a rat. And made this clear.

 The neural network that controls male sexual function is composed of many parts of the brain and spinal cord, and it seems that the reflexes in the spinal cord play an important role as well as the excitement from the brain.Using rodents such as rats and mice, the research group has previously reported that male-dominant neural circuits built in the spinal cord regulate sexual functions such as erection and ejaculation.

 On the other hand, even in humans, spinal cord injury impairs male sexual function, so it was thought that the neural circuit important for male sexual function is universally present in the spinal cord of mammals.However, its existence has not been clarified in animals other than rodents.

 Therefore, the research group compared the Eulipotyphlae Sunkus, which is a closely related species of the mole, with the rodent musculus.As a result, it was found that in Sunkus, as in the murine murine, there is a neural circuit dedicated to male sexual function in the spinal cord.It was also suggested that this neural circuit is regulated by male hormones.Since Sunkus is a relatively primitive mammal, the male sexual function-dedicated neural circuit present in the spinal cord is considered to be universal in mammals.

 These results indicate that the neural circuit mechanisms responsible for penile reflexes and erections may be common in mammals.In the future, it is expected to lead to the treatment of erectile dysfunction in humans, its application to reproductive technology in livestock animals, and the elucidation of the physiological mechanism of reproductive and sexual behavior in mammals.

Paper information:[The Journal of Comparative Neurology] Identification of the sexually dimorphic gastrin-releasing peptide system in the lumbosacral spinal cord that controls male reproductive function in the mouse and Asian house musk shrew (Suncus murinus)

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