Alterations in cortical thickness in nonmedicated premature ejaculation patients: A morphometric MRI study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Urology

Background:

• Premature ejaculation (PE) is a common male sexual dysfunction.
• Limited research exists on brain structure alterations associated with PE.
• Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of PE is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate brain morphometric characteristics in non-medicated men with PE.
• To compare cerebral cortical thickness between PE patients and healthy controls.
• To explore potential imaging markers for PE physiopathology.

Main Methods:

• Utilized 3.0 Tesla MRI scans for 32 medication-naïve men with PE and 31 healthy controls.
• Employed FreeSurfer software for automatic segmentation of MRI structure images.
• Compared cerebral cortical thickness between the PE group and the control group.

Main Results:

• The PE group exhibited significantly thicker cortex in widespread areas, including frontal, parietal, occipital lobes, and the limbic system (P < 0.05).
• PE duration negatively correlated with cortical thickness in the right medial orbitofrontal cortex, right precentral gyrus, and left superior frontal cortex.
• Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool scores negatively correlated with left caudal middle frontal cortex thickness.

Conclusions:

• Findings highlight distinct structural brain features in men with PE.
• The severity of anatomical abnormalities in relevant brain regions may relate to the impairment severity.
• Brain imaging measures show promise as markers for understanding PE.