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In what has been dubbed Barry Komisaruk’s “orgasm lab” scientists are discovering that female sexual pleasure can be attained not only by touch but also by simply imagining the sexual stimulation of erogenous body parts. Komisaurk has been studying female orgasms for more than 20 years and uses high-tech brain scanning imaging technology known as functional MRI to peer deep into the brains of his female volunteers to find out how and why pleasure centers in the brain are
activated.
What he has discovered after scanning the brains of more than a dozen women is that the same region of the brain that is activated by recreational drugs, alcohol, nicotine, and sexual pleasure can also be used as a tool to achieve orgasm by nothing more than unadulterated thoughts of sexual contact.
"We see the brain light up in the same manner in these women whether they are touching themselves or simply thinking about it," says Komisaruk "The brain is not registering it any differently."
So does that mean an end to love, marriage, or the occasional hook-up? Not according to Komisaruk who believes that reality is better than thinking about it and insists that physical contact and emotional connection are still important to women and men alike. "It's why we don't develop a filet mignon pill," says Komisaruk. "We like sitting down and enjoying the whole dining
experience."
What he is hoping is that further research will enable women with neurological and other physical or emotional problems to learn how to use their brains to bypass whatever is preventing them from having an orgasm. Komisaruk believes that when researching female sexuality, it is crucial to concentrate on the activity taking place in the brain. This research, he says, is helping to prove that the mind, particularly when it comes to women, is more powerful than ever
imagined.
For more information
http://www.rutgers.edu/
(MDN)
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