Introduction: the Role of Modern Neuroscience in Sexuality Research

The past decade has witnessed an explosion of neuroscience research on sexuality. This research has been driven by three forces: the quest of drug companies for Viagra and even better successors; technological advances in numerous areas, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology; and advances in neuroscience techniques in both animal and human postmortem research. The result is that a tremendous amount more is known today about the biological substrates of human sexuality than 10 years ago. I use the terms neuroscience and biological substrates in their broadest sense here, to include central and peripheral neural pathways, neurotransmit-ters, the endocrine system, genetic blueprints, and interactions among all these systems. The emphasis on biological substrates is not intended to slight the enormous cultural, interpersonal, and individual life history influences on sexuality, which are well documented elsewhere (e. seek only to focus on a specific piece of the puzzle, namely the biological substrates. This volume is above all integrative. It integrates research on humans and animals; research on males and females; research using vastly different methodologies including twin studies, fMRI, viral tracers to identify neuro-anatomy, and experimental pharmacology; and research at multiple levels of analysis from the molecular (McKenna's chapter on pharmacology) to the familial (Hyde's chapter on family resemblance for sexual orientation). It integrates a fascinating array of aspects of sexuality, including sexual orientation, orgasm, erectile dysfunction, the sexual functioning of women with spinal cord injury, and compulsive sexual behavior. The authors represent a variety of disciplines, including psychology, physiology, neuroscience, urology, and nursing. This book will be useful to many sectors of the community of psychologists. Practitioners increasingly need to understand the biological substrates of both male and female sexual functioning and dysfunction; for example, they need to know what sorts of clients might benefit from Viagra. Those who teach human sexuality, behavioral neuroscience, or biopsychology in colleges and universities will find in this volume much-needed information for updating their teaching. And certainly researchers in sexuality and related fields will appreciate the cutting-edge reviews found in the chapters that follow. This book integrates multiple levels of analysis, ranging from the most basic to the most complex. The book begins with genes, the basic biological blueprints, and Hyde's chapter on the genetics of sexual orientation. The next chapter moves to the cellular level, focusing on the hypothalamus, a region of the brain that has been implicated particularly in sexual behavior and …