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Thalamocortical Dysconnectivity In Lifelong Premature Ejaculation: A Functional MRI Study
Ming Gao1, Bowen Geng2, Tommaso B Jannini3
1Department of Urology, Xi'An DaXing Hospital of Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China; Department of Andrology, XiYuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Urology
|October 24, 2021
Summary
Lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) is linked to altered brain connectivity, particularly in thalamocortical networks. These findings offer new insights into the neurobiology of LPE.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuroscience
- Urology
Background:
- Lifelong premature ejaculation (LPE) is a common condition affecting male sexual health.
- The neurobiological underpinnings of LPE are not fully understood.
- Thalamocortical networks play a crucial role in sensory processing and motor control, potentially relevant to ejaculation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate functional connectivity (FC) between the thalamus and cortical regions in LPE patients.
- To compare thalamocortical networks in LPE patients with healthy controls (HCs).
- To explore the relationship between altered FC and clinical measures in LPE.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) was used to assess FC.
- Fifty non-medicated LPE patients and 40 HCs were included.
- FC was analyzed between the thalamus and six cortical regions of interest.
Main Results:
- LPE patients exhibited decreased FC between the motor cortex and ventral thalamus, prefrontal cortex and dorsomedial thalamus, and temporal cortex and ventromedial thalamus.
- Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool (PEDT) scores positively correlated with thalamus-posterior parietal cortex FC and negatively with thalamus-temporal cortex FC.
- Intravaginal Ejaculatory Latency Time (IELT) showed positive associations with thalamus-temporal cortex and thalamus-motor cortex FC.
Conclusions:
- The study identifies specific alterations in thalamocortical functional connectivity in LPE.
- These findings contribute to understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of LPE.
- Altered brain networks may represent a neurobiological basis or consequence of LPE.
