Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 10, 2026
04:22
Treatment Model for Young Patients with Psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction and Resultant Infertility
Published on: May 30, 2025
Choline associated hypersexuality in a 79-year-old man
Rocco Salvatore Calabrò1, Francesco Cordici, Carmelo Genovese
1IRCCS Centro Neurolesi "Bonino-Pulejo", S.S.113 via Palermo, Cda Casazza, 98124, Messina, Italy, salbro77@tiscali.it.
Archives of Sexual Behavior
|June 5, 2013
Summary
High choline intake may cause iatrogenic hypersexuality, a condition of uninhibited sexual behavior. This adverse effect, linked to the cholinergic pathway, resolved after discontinuing choline supplementation in a patient with mild cognitive impairment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Hypersexuality, or sexual disinhibition, is characterized by persistent, uninhibited sexual behaviors.
- It is sometimes associated with neurodegenerative disorders and can manifest as sexually inappropriate behavior.
- Choline, an essential nutrient and common dietary supplement, plays a role in various bodily functions.
Observation:
- A 79-year-old man with mild cognitive impairment was treated with oral choline.
- After six weeks of choline supplementation, the patient exhibited a pathological increase in libido and sexual urges.
- This adverse effect resolved within five days of discontinuing choline intake.
Findings:
- Choline intake was considered a potential cause of iatrogenic hypersexuality in this case.
- The patient's symptoms of hypersexuality directly correlated with choline assumption.
- Withdrawal of choline led to the complete disappearance of hypersexual behavior.
Implications:
- Hypersexuality may be an underreported adverse effect of choline and other cholinergic pathway-acting agents.
- Healthcare providers should consider choline intake when evaluating patients with hypersexuality or sexual disinhibition.
- This highlights the importance of thorough patient history, including supplement use, in managing behavioral changes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:28Menopause
Menopause, a natural biological process marking the end of a woman's fertility, typically occurs between the fifth and sixth decade of life. This phase is characterized by the exhaustion of the ovarian follicle pool, leading to less responsive ovaries despite the high levels of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH). The consequential decrease in estrogen production results in symptoms like hot flashes, heavy sweating, headaches, hair loss, muscle pains, vaginal...
01:30Indirect-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Pharmacological Actions
Indirect-acting cholinergic agonists, also known as anticholinesterases, exert their pharmacological effects by enhancing cholinergic transmission in various body parts, including the neuromuscular junction, autonomic cholinergic synapses, and the brain.
At the neuromuscular junction, these agents work by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine, allowing it to remain bound to the receptor and bind to nearby receptors. This process leads to repetitive firing of the endplate, causing muscle...
At the neuromuscular junction, these agents work by inhibiting the breakdown of acetylcholine, allowing it to remain bound to the receptor and bind to nearby receptors. This process leads to repetitive firing of the endplate, causing muscle...
01:26Anticholinesterase Agents: Poisoning and Treatment
Anticholinesterases, also known as cholinesterase inhibitors, work by blocking the breakdown of acetylcholine, leading to its accumulation in the synaptic cleft. This accumulation indirectly enhances both muscarinic and nicotinic actions. These agents are classified as reversible or irreversible based on their mechanism of action.
Irreversible agents form a strong bond with the cholinesterase enzyme, making it inactive. The breakdown of the phosphorylated enzyme is slower than the...
Irreversible agents form a strong bond with the cholinesterase enzyme, making it inactive. The breakdown of the phosphorylated enzyme is slower than the...
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
01:17Male Sexual Response: Erection & Ejaculation
Sexual stimulation can take various forms, such as physical touch and visual or auditory cues. When this happens, the parasympathetic reflex in the sacral portion of the spinal cord is activated. This reflex stimulates the release of nitric oxide (NO), which then dilates the arterioles in the penis, increasing blood flow to the erectile tissues - the corpora cavernosa and corpus spongiosum.
The blood filling the erectile tissues compresses the veins, which helps to prevent blood from leaving...
The blood filling the erectile tissues compresses the veins, which helps to prevent blood from leaving...
01:31Direct-Acting Cholinergic Agonists: Pharmacokinetics
Direct-acting cholinergic agonists, such as synthetic choline esters and naturally occurring alkaloids, exert their effects by enhancing the actions of acetylcholine and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Synthetic choline esters share structural similarities with acetylcholine. For example, they have a positively charged quaternary ammonium or onium group, contributing to their hydrophilic characteristics. As a result, they are poorly absorbed in the body through oral...